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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 120 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: trunk · bear · last · cue · key · rush

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bear — the animal
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bear — the animal
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. last — final
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. last — to go on
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cue — a hint

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