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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 116 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: hand · stick · bass · wound · sharp · drill · wax · cue

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cue — a signal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. drill — army training
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cue — for pool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wound — an injury
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bass — low music
  21. hand — help
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. drill — the tool

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