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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: tube · cue · land · file · pop · pound · temple · hand

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pop — music
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. file — a line of people
  7. tube — a container
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pop — soda
  11. tube — the underground
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. file — a tool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. hand — help
  19. file — a document
  20. pound — a weight
  21. hand — in cards
  22. land — to come down
  23. cue — for pool
  24. temple — a place of worship

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