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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: wake · dip · spell · clip · cue · pop · band · lie

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. band — a music group
  3. lie — to recline
  4. clip — a video
  5. pop — to visit
  6. band — a ring
  7. cue — a hint
  8. clip — for paper
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wake — a trail
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. spell — letters
  17. pop — soda
  18. clip — to cut
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pop — music
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. dip — to sink
  24. spell — magic

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