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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 120 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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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: dip · cue · snap · tube · sharp · wind · tear · scale

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. sharp — clever
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tear — from crying
  8. dip — to sink
  9. scale — in music
  10. tube — a container
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. scale — size or range
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cue — a signal
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a hint

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