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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wind — moving air
  4. firm — steady
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. tube — a container
  8. firm — decided
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cold — an illness
  11. firm — a company
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. foot — a measure
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. racket — a loud noise

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