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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: wave · saw · stick · tube · bat · mine · snap · game

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. tube — the underground
  8. game — a match
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tube — a container
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mine — for digging
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. snap — to click
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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