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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. object — to protest
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tube — the underground
  13. plane — a tool
  14. clip — a video
  15. object — an aim
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chest — of your body
  24. object — a thing

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