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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · pitcher · fork · tube · staff · fan · chest · date

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. staff — employees
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. staff — a stick
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tube — a container
  16. chest — a box
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. staff — employees
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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