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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: arm · date · ground · tube · net · cue · mark · bank

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. date — the fruit
  4. net — for catching
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. ground — a position
  8. net — in sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bank — for money
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bank — of a river
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tube — a container
  20. net — after costs
  21. bank — for money
  22. tube — the underground
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. ground — the earth

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