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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: racket · fan · pitcher · tube · deal · spring · mark · wax

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. deal — to handle
  3. tube — a container
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mark — a trace
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. spring — the season
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spring — of water

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