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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: snap · cue · wake · can · roll · saw · wax · kid

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. can — to be able to
  3. snap — to click
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. kid — child
  6. saw — the tool
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wake — a trail
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cue — a signal
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cue — a hint
  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