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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: bore · stick · key · roll · bat · date · wax · cue

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. roll — a list
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cue — a signal
  6. date — the fruit
  7. roll — a cake
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. key — in music
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. key — for a lock
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wax — to grow

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