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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: lean · tear · cell · straw · cue · object · mouse · rash

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. object — an aim
  4. rash — a series
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lean — thin
  12. object — a thing
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cue — for pool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rash — hasty
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cell — in biology
  23. object — to protest
  24. mouse — the animal

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