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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 116 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: firm · wound · cue · rule · spring · squash · cold · perch

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rule — government
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cold — an illness
  7. spring — a coil
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. firm — decided
  11. spring — the season
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. spring — of water
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cue — a signal
  16. perch — the fish
  17. firm — steady
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. firm — a company
  24. rule — a law

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