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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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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: rock · clip · drill · cue · foot · cell · wax · row

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. clip — to cut
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rock — a stone
  8. clip — for paper
  9. row — to paddle
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. row — a line
  15. rock — music
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cue — for pool
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — a signal

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