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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 · file · cell · snap · squash · degree · cue · rush

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cue — a hint
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. file — a tool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. file — a document
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cue — for pool
  16. degree — an amount
  17. file — a line of people
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rush — hurry
  20. degree — temperature
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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