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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. ball — a dance
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cue — a signal
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. deal — to handle
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ball — a great time
  13. cue — for pool
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spring — the season
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. tube — a container

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