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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — of water
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. staff — a stick
  8. spell — magic
  9. plane — a tool
  10. spell — a short time
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. staff — employees
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. staff — employees
  18. coach — a trainer

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