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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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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: wind · tube · race · cue · pop · tear · stick · vault

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cue — a signal
  11. race — a contest
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pop — soda
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cue — a hint
  18. tube — a container
  19. cue — for pool
  20. race — humankind
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pop — music
  24. race — the arms race

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