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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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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: kick · tube · stem · cue · capital · land · wave · deal

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. capital — money
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. stem — to come from
  9. kick — in football
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. capital — a city
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cue — for pool
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cue — a signal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. tube — a container
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cue — a hint
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. stem — of a plant

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