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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: wound · tube · season · mouse · cue · net · dip · rush

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cue — a hint
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. season — of the year
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — in sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cue — for pool
  14. dip — to sink
  15. net — in sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. tube — a container
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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