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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. tube — a container
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spell — a short time
  9. band — a ring
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mine — for digging
  19. spell — magic
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. band — a music group
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. spell — letters
  24. plane — a tool

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