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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cell — a phone
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tube — the underground
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. cell — in biology
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. plane — a tool
  15. lean — thin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cap — of ice
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cap — a hat
  21. dip — to sink
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cap — a lid
  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