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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cue — a signal
  4. can — a tin
  5. cue — for pool
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. cue — a hint
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — a container
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. scale — in music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. scale — size or range
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wake — a trail

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