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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. tube — a container
  4. drill — army training
  5. suit — clothes
  6. wind — moving air
  7. suit — in cards
  8. drill — the tool
  9. tube — the underground
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. suit — to fit
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. drill — a practice
  14. snap — to click
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mine — for digging
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. plane — a tool
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. plane — in geometry

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