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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. can — a tin
  3. band — a ring
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. squash — the sport
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. last — final
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. last — to go on
  14. lean — thin
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. band — a music group
  17. cue — for pool
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cue — a hint
  21. squash — to crush
  22. can — to be able to
  23. last — finally
  24. wind — moving air

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