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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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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 · cue · pop · ruler · rest · wind · fall · bound

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pop — soda
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fall — the season
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bound — certain
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pop — music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wind — moving air

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