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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: cue · cabinet · fan · stick · tube · tear · plane · wind

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tube — a container
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — the underground
  22. plane — a tool
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cabinet — ministers

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