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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 · toast · wave · row · saw · kick · tube · net

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. net — for catching
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. tube — a container
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. net — in sport
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. row — to paddle
  19. saw — the tool
  20. net — after costs
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wake — a trail
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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