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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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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: cell · trunk · sharp · drill · swing · wind · rest · cue

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. drill — army training
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cue — a hint
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. drill — a practice
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. drill — the tool
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rest — a break
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cell — a phone

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