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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 · roll · bank · straw · scale · rash · wake · date

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. scale — in music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. date — the fruit
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bank — for money
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. scale — size or range
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rash — a series
  23. straw — dry grass
  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