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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: wake · march · tube · cap · chest · cue · safe · foot

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cue — for pool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — a hat
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. tube — a container
  9. foot — a measure
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cue — a signal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chest — of your body
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. tube — the underground
  20. chest — a box
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cue — a hint
  23. march — the month
  24. foot — part of the body

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