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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · foot · mine · spring · ruler · track · cue · arm

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cue — a signal
  9. spring — of water
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spring — a coil
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mine — for digging
  16. track — a path
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. track — to keep track
  19. foot — a measure
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. track — a song
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — the season

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