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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: cue · saw · chip · wave · wound · cold · current · lash

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. current — happening now
  10. cold — not warm
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chip — to eat
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wound — an injury

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