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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: wound · cue · saw · date · net · land · fork · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fork — in a road
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. tube — a container
  12. net — after costs
  13. land — a country
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. land — to come down
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. land — ground
  21. net — for catching
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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