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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 116 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: cabinet · object · ground · wound · branch · game · cue · rest

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. object — an aim
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. ground — the earth
  11. object — a thing
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ground — a position
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cue — a hint
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. object — to protest
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rest — a break
  24. cabinet — ministers

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