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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fine — high quality
  5. plane — a tool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spring — of water
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. stock — shares
  14. tube — a container
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stock — goods
  17. spring — the season
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fine — all right
  20. lean — thin
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. trunk — of a tree

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