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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spring — a coil
  4. tube — a container
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. board — to get on
  10. pit — a hole
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. pit — in a race
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. board — a committee
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tube — the underground
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. board — a flat piece

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