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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · cue · wound · prune · capital · cell · straw · dip

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cell — in biology
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cue — a hint
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. spell — magic
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. spell — letters
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. capital — a city
  13. cell — a phone
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spell — a short time
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. prune — to trim
  20. capital — money
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cue — a signal
  24. dip — to dunk

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