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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: last · can · tube · track · cue · pop · staff · clip

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. last — final
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pop — soda
  5. can — to be able to
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cue — for pool
  10. last — finally
  11. pop — to visit
  12. track — a path
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pop — music
  15. last — to go on
  16. staff — employees
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cue — a signal
  20. tube — the underground
  21. clip — a video
  22. cue — a hint
  23. can — a tin
  24. staff — employees

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