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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wake — a trail
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. plane — a tool
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tube — a container
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — in music
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mine — an explosive
  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