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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tube — a container
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fork — in a road
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. game — a match
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. scale — in music
  22. game — wild animals
  23. scale — size or range
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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