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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  3. suit — in cards
  4. tube — the underground
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. degree — an amount
  7. tube — a container
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. degree — temperature
  12. suit — clothes
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. suit — to fit
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  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