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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: cue · bark · tube · hand · date · plane · saw · net

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hand — help
  4. net — after costs
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cue — a signal
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tube — the underground
  14. hand — in cards
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. net — in sport
  18. date — the fruit
  19. tube — a container
  20. net — for catching
  21. cue — a hint
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bark — to shout

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