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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: cue · chair · toast · prune · current · spring · tear · mouse

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cue — for pool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cue — a hint
  5. tear — to rip
  6. chair — a leader
  7. tear — from crying
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — of water
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. current — electric
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. toast — bread
  22. cue — a signal
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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