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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: cue · lean · game · wind · degree · tube · coach · bore

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lean — thin
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bore — to tire
  12. game — a match
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. degree — temperature
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. game — wild animals
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. degree — from a university
  22. tube — a container
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wind — to turn a key

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