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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: mug · arm · wax · cue · kid · calf · mark · shower

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wax — to grow
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. shower — rain
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. kid — child
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mark — a trace
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mug — a face
  22. mark — a grade
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. arm — a part of something

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