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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: bark · board · wake · rush · roll · cue · tube · rock

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. board — a committee
  6. rush — hurry
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rock — music
  9. board — to get on
  10. cue — a signal
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cue — for pool
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bark — to shout
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rock — a stone
  23. roll — a list
  24. rock — to move gently

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