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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. net — in sport
  3. can — to be able to
  4. tube — a container
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. land — a country
  8. net — after costs
  9. land — ground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. net — for catching
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wind — moving air
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. craft — a skill
  21. plane — a tool
  22. land — to come down
  23. tube — the underground
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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