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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — for sport
  4. mine — for digging
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. court — of law
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. plane — a tool
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. court — of a king
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. prune — to trim
  17. dip — to sink
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. tube — a container
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — to dunk

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