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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: kid · wake · cue · tube · cabinet · nail · hide · deal

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cue — for pool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. kid — child
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tube — a container
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cue — a signal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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