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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 120 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: deal · tube · wave · cabinet · pitcher · file · net · hand

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. tube — a container
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. hand — help
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. file — a tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tube — the underground
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wave — with your hand

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