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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fall · wound · object · land · mate · current · cue · mine

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cue — for pool
  6. object — a thing
  7. mate — a partner
  8. land — to come down
  9. object — to protest
  10. mine — for digging
  11. current — electric
  12. fall — the season
  13. wound — an injury
  14. current — of water
  15. land — ground
  16. object — an aim
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fall — to drop
  22. land — a country
  23. current — happening now
  24. mine — belonging to me

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