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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.

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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: saw · rash · ground · wind · wax · cue · suit · bat

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. ground — a position
  4. cue — a hint
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wind — moving air
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wind — moving air
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — to grow
  23. suit — in cards
  24. ground — crushed

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