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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · leaves · pop · current · cue · wind · rush · fall

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chest — of your body
  10. current — of water
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pop — music
  17. current — electric
  18. pop — soda
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cue — a signal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. current — happening now
  23. fall — the season
  24. chest — a box

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