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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · fork · trunk · rule · current · rest

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cue — for pool
  7. current — happening now
  8. fork — in a road
  9. current — of water
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rest — a break
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rule — a law
  15. current — electric
  16. rule — government
  17. cue — a signal
  18. trunk — of an elephant

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