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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: wind · can · wake · wax · deal · mouse · fall · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. can — a tin
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. can — to be able to
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fall — the season
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — a tin
  23. wake — a trail
  24. deal — an agreement

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