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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: wake · squash · cue · present · saw · vault · fan · fork

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. saw — the tool
  3. present — a gift
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. present — the time now
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fork — in a road
  17. present — there
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cue — a signal

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