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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: tube · bay · foot · fan · wake · game · fork · wave

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. tube — the underground
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tube — a container
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. game — a match
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wake — a trail
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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