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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: key · cold · trunk · dip · cue · cabinet · wake · roll

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. roll — a cake
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. roll — a list
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cold — an illness
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wake — a trail
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cue — for pool
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cold — not warm

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