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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: dip · face · foot · pitch · wax · cue · band · clip

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. band — a music group
  3. cue — a signal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. clip — a video
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. foot — a measure
  14. face — to point toward
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. clip — for paper
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitch — completely
  21. band — a ring
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. band — a rubber band

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