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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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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: club · cue · wave · perch · bear · trunk · cold · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. rule — government
  15. cue — a hint
  16. club — for dancing
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. cold — an illness
  20. club — a group
  21. perch — the fish
  22. club — for golf
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cold — not warm

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