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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: mate · tube · bound · cue · wound · cap · rash · kid

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mate — a friend
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — obliged
  12. tube — a container
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bound — certain
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cue — a hint
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rash — a series
  24. cap — a lid

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