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

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bass — the fish
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. hand — help
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. can — to be able to
  10. tube — the underground
  11. plane — a tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. bass — low music
  14. bear — the animal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bear — the animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. tube — a container
  20. land — ground
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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