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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: tube · pop · wake · capital · cue · wound · cold · vault

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. tube — a container
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pop — music
  12. tube — the underground
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pop — to visit
  17. capital — money
  18. vault — a safe
  19. capital — a city
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — soda
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cold — an illness
  24. capital — a big letter

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