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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: bark · coach · wound · date · staff · club · cue · cell

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. staff — employees
  8. cell — in biology
  9. club — a group
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cue — a signal
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. date — the fruit
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bark — to shout
  21. club — for golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cue — a hint

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