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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. craft — boats
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. tube — a container
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pop — music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pop — soda
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cell — a phone
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wake — a trail
  24. plane — a tool

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