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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: tube · pop · last · tear · club · trunk · cue · clip

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pop — music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pop — soda
  8. cue — a hint
  9. tube — the underground
  10. club — for dancing
  11. clip — a video
  12. club — for golf
  13. tear — from crying
  14. last — to go on
  15. club — a group
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tube — a container

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