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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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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: stick · cue · cap · kick · wound · dip · board · wax

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cue — a signal
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cap — a lid
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. board — a committee
  12. kick — in football
  13. wax — to grow
  14. dip — to sink
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. board — to get on
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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