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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 120 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: firm · cue · nail · tube · row · coach · bear · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. tube — the underground
  3. row — a line
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cue — a signal
  8. firm — steady
  9. bear — the animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. firm — a company
  19. tube — a container
  20. firm — decided
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. swing — music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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