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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bark — to shout
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. band — a ring
  13. deal — to handle
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. tube — the underground
  17. board — to get on
  18. spring — a coil
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. plane — a tool
  23. tube — a container
  24. band — a music group

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