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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · wake · season · tube · bear · rest · game · plane

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — a match
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. season — of the year
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cold — an illness
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bear — the animal
  22. season — in sport
  23. tube — a container
  24. game — wild animals

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