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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. date — the fruit
  11. tube — a container
  12. season — in sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. plane — a tool
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. squash — to crush
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. season — of the year
  21. dip — to sink
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. squash — the sport
  24. plane — an aircraft

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