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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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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: vault · trunk · cue · wind · wake · roll · mouse · hand

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cue — a hint
  4. hand — help
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. roll — a cake
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. vault — a safe
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wake — before a funeral

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