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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: firm · hand · wake · cabinet · bear · scale · tube · dip

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. hand — help
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. firm — decided
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. scale — in music
  18. dip — to sink
  19. tube — the underground
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bear — the animal
  22. firm — a company
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. firm — steady

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