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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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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: deal · tube · fork · mug · bat · chest · leaves · perch

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mug — a cup
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. tube — the underground
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. chest — a box
  10. mug — to rob
  11. tube — a container
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mug — a face
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. deal — to handle
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. perch — the fish
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. tube — in a tire

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