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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 · clip · bear · fall · court · cue · deal · wax

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cue — a signal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fall — the season
  11. court — of law
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. fall — to drop
  14. court — for sport
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bear — the animal
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. court — of a king
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mark — a trace
  24. deal — to handle

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