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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: ground · wake · cap · racket · tube · can · fan · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ground — the earth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wake — a trail
  19. tube — a container
  20. cap — a hat
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — on the skin

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