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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: pop · row · fall · cue · trunk · hand · bear · fine

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. fall — the season
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — a line
  13. pop — music
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cue — for pool
  17. fine — all right
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pop — to visit
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hand — help

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