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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.

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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: hand · key · saw · tube · bat · tear · wake · pound

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wake — a trail
  3. key — in music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hand — help
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. tube — a container
  19. key — the most important part
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pound — a weight
  24. key — for a lock

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