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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: rash · saw · cabinet · tube · straw · sharp · mine · cue

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. sharp — clever
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rash — a series
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mine — for digging
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. saw — the tool
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. saw — the tool

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