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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wound — an injury
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. saw — the tool
  6. key — the most important part
  7. march — music
  8. press — newspapers
  9. key — in music
  10. press — to push
  11. plane — a tool
  12. march — the month
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. tube — the underground
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. key — for a lock
  21. march — the month
  22. press — a publisher
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tube — a container

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