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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · rest · lie · tube · cue · kid · fan · dip

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — a container
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rest — a break
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kid — child
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lie — to recline
  24. tube — the underground

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