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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · cell · cue · face · tube · cabinet · file · wake

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cell — a phone
  13. face — to confront
  14. bound — certain
  15. file — a document
  16. cue — a signal
  17. tube — a container
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cue — a hint
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bound — obliged
  23. file — a tool
  24. cue — for pool

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