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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: bear · hide · stick · cue · saw · face · mine · tube

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cue — for pool
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. face — part of the head
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. face — to confront
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — a container
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bear — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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