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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: date · nail · staff · tube · toast · bat · fall · wave

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. toast — bread
  6. tube — a container
  7. fall — to drop
  8. staff — employees
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. staff — employees
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tube — the underground

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