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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: mate · cell · wind · straw · current · cue

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cue — a hint
  5. current — happening now
  6. mate — to breed
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mate — a friend
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cue — a signal
  12. current — of water
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. current — electric
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mate — a partner

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