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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: ground · rest · tube · bat · object · leaves · date · fan

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. tube — a container
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ground — a position
  6. rest — what's left
  7. date — the fruit
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ground — the earth
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. object — an aim
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. object — to protest
  18. rest — a break
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — the animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. object — a thing

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