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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. tube — a container
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rash — a series
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. row — a line
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. game — a match
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wave — of the sea

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