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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: tube · spell · wake · lie · leaves · hand · content · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tube — a container
  3. content — happy
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. content — the amount
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. hand — in cards
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spell — letters
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hand — help
  20. lie — to recline
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spell — magic
  24. lie — an untruth

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