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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: bound · squash · cue · mine · dip · mark · wax · ground

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. squash — to crush
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wax — to grow
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cue — a hint
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bound — certain
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — tied together
  17. ground — a position
  18. cue — a signal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bound — obliged
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wax — in the ear

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