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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 120 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: wake · mine · fan · tube · rock · mouse · bat · cap

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bat — the animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. tube — a container
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mine — for digging
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rock — music

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