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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: mouse · straw · tube · land · bound · charge · cue · capital

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. capital — money
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — to come down
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cue — for pool
  18. land — a country
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bound — tied together
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. land — ground
  24. tube — a container

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