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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. tube — a container
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bat — the animal
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. tube — the underground
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. leaves — to go away

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