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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. spring — a coil
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. fine — high quality
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fine — all right
  12. stock — shares
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. spring — of water
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spring — the season
  20. bank — for money
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stock — goods
  24. mark — a trace

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