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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 116 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 · tube · file · suit · rock · fork · wave · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. tube — the underground
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cap — of ice
  5. file — a tool
  6. suit — clothes
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cap — a lid
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. file — a document
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. game — a match
  17. suit — in cards
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rock — music
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tube — a container
  24. file — a line of people

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