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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: pop · fine · tear · cue · press · hand · lean · tube

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lean — to bend
  7. fine — high quality
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tube — a container
  10. press — newspapers
  11. hand — help
  12. tear — to rip
  13. press — to push
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cue — a signal
  17. lean — thin
  18. pop — music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cue — a hint
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pop — to visit
  24. press — a publisher

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