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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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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: wake · cue · wind · fork · tube · root · mug · march

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — in a road
  4. root — of a word
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. march — music
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. march — the month
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. march — the month
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — the cause
  18. tube — a container
  19. root — of a plant
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mug — a face
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wind — to turn a key

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