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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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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: tear · lash · kick · ground · tube · swing · track · cue

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cue — a signal
  3. track — a song
  4. cue — a hint
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cue — for pool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ground — a position
  10. swing — music
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. tube — a container
  13. ground — the earth
  14. swing — in golf
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. track — a path
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. kick — in football
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — the underground
  22. track — to keep track
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. ground — crushed

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