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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: stick · cell · cue · band · pop · mouse · wound · clip

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. clip — for paper
  6. band — a music group
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. band — a ring
  14. cell — a phone
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pop — music
  21. clip — a video
  22. pop — soda
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mouse — for a computer

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