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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: toast · bound · tube · cap · lean · game · wake · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. game — a match
  13. lean — to bend
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tube — the underground
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. tube — a container
  20. bound — certain
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. bound — tied together
  24. toast — bread

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