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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: hand · kid · tube · stand · cue · prune · file · bowl

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cue — a hint
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cue — a signal
  9. tube — a container
  10. kid — child
  11. file — a line of people
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kid — to tease
  15. file — a tool
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stand — to bear

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