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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
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: kid · wave · fan · bound · fine · last · tube · racket

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. last — finally
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. tube — the underground
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kid — child
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fine — high quality
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fine — all right
  18. bound — certain
  19. tube — a container
  20. last — final
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bound — tied together
  24. last — to go on

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