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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 120 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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bass — low music
  11. tube — a container
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. stem — to come from
  15. plane — a tool
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. kick — in football
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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