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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: straw · stick · cue · rest · prune · face · current · mouse

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cue — a hint
  3. current — of water
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rest — a break
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rest — what's left
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. current — happening now
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rest — what's left
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cue — a signal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. current — electric
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mouse — for a computer

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