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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. net — for catching
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. tube — a container
  6. net — in sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. spell — letters
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lean — thin
  22. net — after costs
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spell — magic

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