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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. object — an aim
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bass — low music
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. tube — the underground
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. shower — rain
  14. object — a thing
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. tube — a container
  17. bass — the fish
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. object — to protest
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the 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