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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: nail · can · pound · wound · kid · cue · current · pass

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kid — child
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kid — to tease
  10. current — of water
  11. can — a tin
  12. current — happening now
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pound — a weight
  20. can — a tin
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. current — electric
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pass — to spend time

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