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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: object · cue · wake · kid · bank · root · tube · bat

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. object — an aim
  3. kid — to tease
  4. object — a thing
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cue — a signal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. object — to protest
  13. bank — for money
  14. kid — child
  15. root — the cause
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. root — of a word
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. root — of a plant

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