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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: rock · cue · mine · can · tube · cold · perch · kick

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. tube — a container
  4. cold — an illness
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rock — a stone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. can — a tin
  13. perch — the fish
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cue — a signal
  16. kick — in football
  17. can — a tin
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cold — not warm
  24. perch — for a bird

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