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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mark — a trace
  3. clip — for paper
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. key — for a lock
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. tube — a container
  12. band — a ring
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. plane — a tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. clip — to cut
  17. band — a music group
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. snap — to click
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mark — a grade
  24. clip — a video

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