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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: tear · squash · jam · cue · wake · current · tube · date

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. current — of water
  4. tube — a container
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tear — to rip
  7. squash — to crush
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. tube — the underground
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. cue — a hint
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. current — electric
  21. tear — from crying
  22. date — the fruit
  23. current — happening now
  24. squash — the sport

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