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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: current · mine · stick · trunk · squash · bark · cue · fall

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. current — of water
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fall — the season
  12. bark — to shout
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cue — for pool
  19. current — electric
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. current — happening now

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