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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: snap · stick · pitch · mug · cue · spring · kid · wax

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. snap — to click
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cue — a hint
  8. spring — the season
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cue — a signal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spring — of water
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mug — a face
  21. kid — child
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cue — for pool

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