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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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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: trunk · pitcher · wound · cue · row · rock · squash · key

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — a signal
  7. key — in music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. squash — the sport
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rock — a stone
  17. key — for a lock
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cue — for pool
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cue — a hint

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