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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 116 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: snap · clip · cue · mine · wax · root · sharp · bowl

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. root — the cause
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. clip — a video
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. root — of a word
  16. snap — to click
  17. cue — a signal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. clip — for paper
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mine — for digging
  24. clip — to cut

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