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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: wake · wind · cue · stand · fork · deal · drill · net

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cue — a signal
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wake — a trail
  11. drill — a practice
  12. net — for catching
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. net — after costs
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — army training
  23. net — in sport
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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