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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: wind · object · mouse · temple · club · cue · trunk · sharp

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. object — to protest
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. sharp — clever
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wind — moving air
  9. object — a thing
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. club — for golf
  15. cue — a signal
  16. object — an aim
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cue — a hint
  20. club — a group
  21. wind — moving air
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. temple — side of the head

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