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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: swing · wax · trunk · shower · row · key · cue · present

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. key — in music
  6. present — there
  7. cue — for pool
  8. present — a gift
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. swing — to play on
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. row — a line
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. key — for a lock
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. swing — music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. present — the time now

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