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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. swing — to play on
  7. spring — the season
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. swing — music
  10. plane — a tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spring — of water
  13. tube — the underground
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tube — a container
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. branch — a division

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