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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: season · tube · wind · coach · wake · jam · cue · game

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. season — of the year
  3. cue — a hint
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cue — for pool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. game — a match
  14. wind — moving air
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. game — wild animals
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. jam — a tight spot

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