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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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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: chair · trunk · spring · hide · snap · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cue — for pool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. spring — of water
  9. cue — a hint
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. spring — the season
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chair — a leader
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. trunk — of a tree

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