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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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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 · wave · face · chest · season · chip · stick · wax

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. chest — a box
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wax — to grow
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — to point toward
  23. season — of the year
  24. cue — a signal

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