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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 · prune · chair · can · tube · fan · net · mug

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. prune — to trim
  5. can — a tin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — for catching
  11. mug — a face
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. can — to be able to
  14. net — in sport
  15. mug — to rob
  16. net — after costs
  17. tube — a container
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fan — a supporter

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