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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · object · prune · fan · tube · bank · chest · wave

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — for sport
  5. chest — of your body
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tube — a container
  8. chest — of your body
  9. field — a subject
  10. bank — of a river
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. object — an aim
  13. bank — for money
  14. field — farmland
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bank — for money
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. chest — a box
  24. object — a thing

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