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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: game · mouse · tube · fork · club · stick · bear · suit

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. club — for dancing
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bear — the animal
  8. suit — clothes
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. suit — in cards
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bear — the animal
  22. club — a group
  23. suit — to fit
  24. club — for golf

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