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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wake — a trail
  4. last — final
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cue — a hint
  7. club — for dancing
  8. lean — thin
  9. club — for golf
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. tube — a container
  16. club — a group
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cue — a signal
  22. content — the amount
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tube — the underground

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