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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: mug · cue · snap · field · rush · arm · branch · roll

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. roll — a cake
  4. field — for sport
  5. cue — a hint
  6. field — a subject
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. field — farmland
  11. mug — a face
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. roll — a list
  14. branch — a division
  15. snap — to click
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cue — a signal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rush — hurry
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mug — a cup

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