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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: cabinet · cue · can · clip · track · pitcher · band · hand

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. clip — to cut
  3. track — a song
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cue — a hint
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. track — a path
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. band — a ring
  19. cue — a signal
  20. hand — help
  21. clip — a video
  22. can — a tin
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. can — a tin

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