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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.

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: object · wound · tear · wax · clip · present · cue · fan

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. present — a gift
  3. cue — for pool
  4. object — a thing
  5. tear — from crying
  6. clip — a video
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. present — there
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. object — to protest
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cue — a hint
  18. object — an aim
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. present — the time now
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fan — a supporter

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