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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: game · fork · tear · nail · kick · tube · suit · wake

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. suit — to fit
  5. tear — to rip
  6. suit — clothes
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wake — a trail
  9. tube — a container
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. tube — the underground
  17. suit — in cards
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. game — a match
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. game — wild animals

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