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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: hide · tube · squash · cue · stick · jam · field · arm

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. field — for sport
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. squash — the sport
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cue — a signal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. field — farmland
  20. tube — a container
  21. cue — a hint
  22. field — a subject
  23. cue — for pool
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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