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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.

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: clip · pop · march · rock · wax · mug · cue · leaves

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mug — a face
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pop — soda
  6. march — music
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. clip — a video
  9. pop — music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cue — a signal
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rock — a stone
  16. march — the month
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rock — music
  22. march — the month
  23. cue — for pool
  24. clip — to cut

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