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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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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 · race · pound · stand · clip · lie · cue · prune

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. prune — to trim
  3. race — humankind
  4. cue — a signal
  5. stand — to bear
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. tube — the underground
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cue — a hint
  13. race — a contest
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. clip — to cut
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. tube — a container
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. clip — a video
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cue — for pool
  24. prune — the fruit

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