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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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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 · fan · lean · mouse · wave · race · fork · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — to bend
  5. tube — a container
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cap — a hat
  8. race — humankind
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cap — a lid
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. race — a contest
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. lean — thin
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. fork — in a road
  24. tube — in a tire

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