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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. branch — a division
  3. cue — for pool
  4. current — electric
  5. tube — a container
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. current — happening now
  10. cue — a hint
  11. current — of water
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. squash — the sport
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. vault — a safe
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. squash — to crush

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