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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 120 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: sharp · ball · branch · kick · wax · rest · cue · fine

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fine — all right
  6. cue — for pool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kick — in football
  12. branch — a division
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rest — a break
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rest — what's left
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ball — a round shape

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