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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: lean · pit · fan · tube · squash · cabinet · can · nail

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. can — to be able to
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — to bend
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. can — a tin
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lean — thin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tube — a container
  20. pit — in a race
  21. can — a tin
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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