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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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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: wind · patient · rest · tube · band · squash · safe · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. squash — the sport
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. band — a ring
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. band — a music group
  11. rest — what's left
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. patient — a sick person

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