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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: cue · trunk · last · current · leaves · wake · clip · mouse

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. current — of water
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wake — a trail
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. clip — for paper
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. current — happening now
  16. clip — a video
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cue — a signal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. last — final
  21. cue — for pool
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mouse — the animal

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