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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · mate · cue · track · cap · tube · bass · tear

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cue — a hint
  4. track — a song
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bass — the fish
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bass — low music
  11. cap — a hat
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mate — a friend
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. track — a path
  19. tube — a container
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cap — of ice

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