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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: tear · cue · pop · club · season · face · fork · bark

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. club — for golf
  3. pop — music
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bark — to shout
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. club — a group
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. season — in sport
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. face — to confront
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. fork — in a road
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cue — a signal

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