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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: calf · file · cue · snap · rush · wound · trunk · toast

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. toast — bread
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rush — hurry
  9. file — a document
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. file — a line of people
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. wound — an injury
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. file — a tool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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