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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: staff · wake · rule · wind · cell · bear · cue · tear

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cell — in biology
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wake — a trail
  6. staff — employees
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. staff — employees
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rule — government
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rule — a law
  24. wind — moving air

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