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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bass — low music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. plane — a tool
  10. branch — a division
  11. row — a line
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. tube — a container
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bass — the fish
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. perch — for a bird

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