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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. plane — a tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. row — a line
  10. chip — to eat
  11. tube — a container
  12. bank — for money
  13. spring — of water
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bank — for money
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bank — of a river

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