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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cue — for pool
  6. plane — a tool
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cue — a hint
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. tear — from crying
  13. spell — magic
  14. season — in sport
  15. spell — letters
  16. season — of the year
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tube — a container
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mark — a grade
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cue — a signal

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