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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 116 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: track · cue · wound · nail · tube · last · straw · fork

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. last — final
  7. track — a path
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wound — an injury
  10. last — to go on
  11. track — a song
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. last — finally
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. track — to keep track
  24. tube — the underground

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