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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: cue · jam · stand · rash · hand · temple · wax · clip

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. clip — a video
  3. cue — a signal
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wax — to grow
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. rash — a series
  12. hand — help
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. clip — to cut
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. clip — for paper
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stand — to bear
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wax — in the ear

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