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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · cue · hand · wax · ruler · degree · drill · lie

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hand — help
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. cue — a hint
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. drill — a practice
  15. staff — employees
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. degree — an amount
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. drill — army training

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