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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: pitcher · cue · content · wind · mine · mark · rest · wax

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wind — moving air
  5. content — the amount
  6. cue — a signal
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rest — a break
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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