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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
468
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: cell · cue · land · stick · track · bore · pitcher · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a path
  12. land — a country
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. land — ground
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. land — to come down
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cue — a signal
  23. track — a song
  24. cell — in biology

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