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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: bay · fan · cap · tube · trunk · rush · wake · deal

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rush — hurry
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. tube — a container
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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