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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: mouse · land · cap · cue · lash · pitcher · tube · pop

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. land — a country
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pop — music
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cap — of ice
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. tube — a container
  15. pop — soda
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cue — for pool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. cue — a signal
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pop — to visit

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