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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: current · wake · cue · wound · cabinet · mark · chest · kick

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. current — happening now
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. current — electric
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cue — a signal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. current — of water
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kick — in football
  20. chest — a box
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mark — a trace
  24. chest — of your body

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