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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: tube · cue · swing · straw · wave · patient · mug · vault

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mug — a cup
  3. tube — a container
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cue — a signal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mug — a face
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. tube — the underground
  21. swing — in golf
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cue — for pool
  24. patient — a sick person

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