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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wake — a trail
  12. band — a music group
  13. hand — help
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rock — music
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cell — a phone
  23. band — a ring
  24. rock — a stone

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