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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: bulb · squash · chest · race · cue · bay · wound · leaves

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wound — an injury
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cue — a hint
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. squash — to crush
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. chest — of your body
  19. race — a contest
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. leaves — lets stay

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