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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: suit · bark · cue · mine · deal · hand · track · plane

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. suit — to fit
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cue — for pool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. track — a path
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. suit — in cards
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. plane — a tool
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bark — to shout
  24. hand — help

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