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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: face · rush · suit · wind · tube · pop · fork · club

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. suit — in cards
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. suit — clothes
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pop — to visit
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pop — soda
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pop — music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. club — for dancing
  15. face — to confront
  16. club — a group
  17. face — to point toward
  18. suit — to fit
  19. club — for golf
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fork — in a road

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