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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. clip — for paper
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. plane — a tool
  12. stand — to bear
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. clip — a video
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. present — a gift
  24. cap — of ice

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