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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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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: cue · pop · stand · pitcher · band · clip · tube · file

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. file — a document
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pop — music
  15. cue — a signal
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. band — a music group
  18. clip — to cut
  19. tube — a container
  20. clip — a video
  21. file — a tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stand — to bear
  24. band — a ring

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