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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: bay · trunk · spell · cue · tube · wind · present · cell

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. tube — a container
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cue — for pool
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. present — a gift
  24. tube — in a tire

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