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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: rest · cell · straw · cue · fan · saw

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cell — in biology
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — for pool
  18. straw — dry grass

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