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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 120 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: bark · staff · wave · rash · cell · cue · tube · squash

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — a container
  3. cue — a signal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bark — to shout
  6. staff — a stick
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rash — a series
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. staff — employees
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cell — in biology

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