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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: fork · tube · jam · fan · rest · hand · capital · file

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. capital — money
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rest — what's left
  5. file — a tool
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rest — what's left
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. capital — a city
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rest — a break

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