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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 · can · chest · pit · mug · fall · tear · tube

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fall — to drop
  13. can — a tin
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fall — the season
  17. tube — the underground
  18. chest — a box
  19. tube — a container
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cue — for pool
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — of your body

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