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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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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: band · stand · mug · foot · land · tear · cue · mate

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a signal
  5. mug — to rob
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. band — a music group
  8. tear — to rip
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. land — a country
  12. mate — a friend
  13. band — a ring
  14. land — ground
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mug — a face
  17. land — to come down
  18. stand — to bear
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mug — a cup
  24. stand — for spectators

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