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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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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 · kick · wake · straw · lash · cue · saw · current

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cell — in biology
  8. current — happening now
  9. cell — a phone
  10. current — electric
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cue — a signal
  16. current — of water
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. kick — in football
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. saw — the tool

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