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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: dip · leaves · tube · bat · cue · fork · last · lie

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. last — to go on
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cue — a signal
  6. last — finally
  7. dip — to sink
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bat — the animal
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. last — final
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fork — in a road

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