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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 116 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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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: object · mate · cue · tear · mouse · bank · wound · pop

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. object — to protest
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pop — soda
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — for pool
  7. object — an aim
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pop — music
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cue — a hint
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bank — for money
  21. object — a thing
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mate — to breed

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