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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 · wave · foot · bat · tube · pitcher · tear · coach

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. tube — a container
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. foot — a measure
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bat — the animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. tube — in a tire

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