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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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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. shower — to wash
  3. firm — a company
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. saw — the tool
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kid — child
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fork — in a road
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. firm — decided
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. firm — steady
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fork — a garden tool

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