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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: root · hand · tube · board · object · cue · swing · wound

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. tube — the underground
  3. board — to get on
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. swing — to play on
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. object — to protest
  8. swing — music
  9. cue — a signal
  10. hand — help
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. object — an aim
  14. hand — in cards
  15. object — a thing
  16. tube — a container
  17. cue — for pool
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. root — of a word
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. board — a committee

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