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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: wake · tube · club · kid · face · saw · stock · nail

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. club — a group
  5. stock — goods
  6. tube — a container
  7. stock — shares
  8. face — part of the head
  9. kid — child
  10. tube — the underground
  11. club — for golf
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. face — to confront
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. face — to point toward
  23. saw — the tool
  24. club — for dancing

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