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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: foot · wake · tear · rush · tube · season · pitcher · board

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — a committee
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tube — a container
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. board — to get on
  24. tear — from crying

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