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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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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: mark · cue · clip · race · bound · straw · pitcher · wax

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bound — tied together
  4. clip — a video
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bound — certain
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. bound — obliged
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cue — a signal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. race — a contest
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. clip — for paper

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