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

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tube — the underground
  5. row — to paddle
  6. branch — a division
  7. cue — a signal
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spring — a coil
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — the season
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. tube — a container
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cue — a hint
  19. spring — of water
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. dip — a sauce

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