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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: fine · squash · bear · spring · tube · fan · staff · rest

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rest — a break
  3. fine — high quality
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. spring — the season
  11. tube — a container
  12. staff — employees
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fine — all right
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. spring — of water
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fine — a penalty

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