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

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bank — for money
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bank — for money
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bass — low music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tube — in a tire

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