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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: can · wave · land · tube · ball · foot · spring · hand

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. tube — a container
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. tube — the underground
  11. hand — help
  12. spring — of water
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. spring — the season
  16. can — a tin
  17. land — a country
  18. ball — a great time
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. spring — a coil
  24. foot — a measure

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