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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 116 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. tube — a container
  4. fall — the season
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mug — a face
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fall — to drop

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