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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 120 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: cue · arm · wind · pound · drill · temple · wake · bark

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pound — a weight
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cue — a hint
  8. drill — army training
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wind — moving air
  12. drill — a practice
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cue — a signal
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pound — for dogs

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