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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kid — child
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. land — to come down
  12. kid — to tease
  13. land — ground
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. tube — a container
  19. track — a path
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. land — a country
  24. date — the fruit

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