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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · band · cue · chip · plane · ball · field · mouse

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. field — a subject
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. chip — for betting
  6. plane — a tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ball — a great time
  10. field — farmland
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. band — a ring
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cue — for pool
  23. band — a music group
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com