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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: wax · staff · pop · cue · bowl · saw · chair · shower

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — to grow
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. saw — the tool
  17. shower — to wash
  18. staff — a stick
  19. shower — rain
  20. cue — a hint
  21. staff — employees
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pop — music
  24. bowl — a dish

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