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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: wind · cue · row · trunk · key · arm · rock · ground

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cue — a hint
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cue — a signal
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ground — a position
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. key — in music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. key — the most important part
  18. ground — the earth
  19. row — a line
  20. ground — crushed
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. trunk — of a car

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