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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: wax · nail · pitch · rest · lash · cell · snap · cue

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cue — a hint
  8. rest — a break
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cue — for pool
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rest — what's left
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pitch — completely
  18. snap — to click
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cell — in biology

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