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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · cue · kick · spell · straw · clip · scale · charge

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. spell — a short time
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. clip — to cut
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. kick — in football
  11. spell — magic
  12. charge — a price
  13. cue — a hint
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cue — for pool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cue — a signal
  18. charge — electricity
  19. spell — letters
  20. charge — in control
  21. wax — to grow
  22. clip — a video
  23. scale — in music
  24. kick — with a leg

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