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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 116 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
468
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: game · wake · mate · leaves · tube · swing · degree · lash

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mate — a friend
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. swing — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. degree — from a university
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tube — the underground
  21. swing — to play on
  22. degree — temperature
  23. game — a match
  24. wake — a trail

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