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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: cue · wave · clip · bark · cell · drill · kid · patient

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bark — to shout
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cell — in biology
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cell — a phone
  9. drill — army training
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. drill — a practice
  15. clip — a video
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. clip — for paper
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. drill — the tool

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