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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: kid · cabinet · tube · fan · row · stock · cue · file

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stock — shares
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tube — a container
  11. cue — for pool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. kid — child
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cue — a signal
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. row — a line
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stock — goods
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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