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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: bay · sharp · wind · wax · bat · rest · cue · fan

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rest — a break
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wind — moving air
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rest — what's left
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rest — what's left

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