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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · game · can · wind · rest · mine · stock · object

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rest — what's left
  4. can — a tin
  5. tube — a container
  6. stock — shares
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — a match
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mine — for digging
  12. object — a thing
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. rest — what's left
  18. can — a tin
  19. stock — goods
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. tube — the underground
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rest — a break

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