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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
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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: rest · cue · wind · squash · lie · net · roll · bulb

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bulb — for light
  8. net — for catching
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rest — a break
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. net — after costs
  13. squash — to crush
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cue — for pool
  20. roll — a list
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rest — what's left
  24. net — in sport

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