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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · key · tube · racket · wake · cabinet

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chest — of your body
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. key — for a lock
  6. chest — of your body
  7. tube — a container
  8. chest — a box
  9. key — the most important part
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wake — a trail
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. key — in music

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