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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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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: cabinet · mug · wind · cell · tear · cue

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cell — in biology
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mug — a cup
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cue — a signal

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