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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 was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lean — thin
  4. snap — to click
  5. land — a country
  6. wound — an injury
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. land — to come down
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cue — for pool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cue — a hint
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. land — ground
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. trunk — of a tree

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