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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bank — for money
  4. tube — a container
  5. field — farmland
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mug — to rob
  10. field — a subject
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bank — for money
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mug — a face
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. field — for sport

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