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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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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: fan · tube · fall · saw · race · wave · bay · face

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. saw — the tool
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fall — the season
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. face — to confront
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. race — humankind
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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