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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 · fine · saw · degree · cue · patient · kid · swing

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. tube — the underground
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fine — all right
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. kid — child
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cue — for pool
  13. tube — a container
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kid — to tease
  16. swing — music
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. swing — in golf
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fine — high quality
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. swing — to play on

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