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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: hide · band · wake · current · cue · snap · pitcher · net

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. band — a ring
  9. net — for catching
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. net — after costs
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. snap — to click
  14. band — a music group
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. net — in sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. current — happening now
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cue — a signal

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