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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: cue · straw · bass · tube · wake · wound · racket · bound

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. tube — the underground
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cue — a signal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tube — a container
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bound — obliged
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bass — low music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. straw — a straw man

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