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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. snap — to click
  4. spring — a coil
  5. band — a music group
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. band — a ring
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spring — of water
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. spring — the season
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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