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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: cue · club · craft · mug · tube · wave · press · kick

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. craft — a handicraft
  2. cue — a hint
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. press — to push
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mug — a face
  15. kick — in football
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cue — a signal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. club — a group
  21. craft — boats
  22. cue — for pool
  23. mug — to rob
  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