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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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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: wake · present · spell · mouse · ground · mine · jam · tube

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. tube — the underground
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. ground — a position
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wake — a trail
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. present — there
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spell — magic
  20. mine — for digging
  21. tube — a container
  22. present — a gift
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. present — the time now

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