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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 120 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: fan · hand · wind · bear · mouse · rest · bat · tube

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. tube — a container
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rest — what's left
  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