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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: arm · wake · pass · bulb · net · wind · cue · mine

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cue — a hint
  4. net — for catching
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. net — in sport
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wake — a trail
  19. net — after costs
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mine — for digging
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cue — for pool

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