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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ball — a great time
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. tube — a container
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — to go on
  15. bass — low music
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bass — the fish
  21. row — to paddle
  22. last — finally
  23. plane — a tool
  24. last — final

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