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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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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: spring · arm · kid · wind · rock · cue · tube · charge

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cue — a signal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wind — moving air
  5. charge — in control
  6. tube — a container
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spring — of water
  12. kid — child
  13. spring — the season
  14. rock — music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wind — moving air
  19. charge — electricity
  20. rock — a stone
  21. charge — a price
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. spring — a coil
  24. kid — to tease

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