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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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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: cold · wax · hand · object · stand · cue · swing · bound

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. object — to protest
  3. wax — to grow
  4. object — a thing
  5. swing — in golf
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bound — certain
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. hand — help
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stand — to bear
  23. swing — to play on
  24. object — an aim

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