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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. file — a line of people
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. clip — for paper
  6. band — a ring
  7. clip — to cut
  8. tube — a container
  9. stock — shares
  10. wind — moving air
  11. band — a music group
  12. file — a document
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. file — a tool
  17. tube — the underground
  18. clip — a video
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stock — goods
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. tube — in a tire

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