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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. row — a line
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. spell — magic
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. tube — the underground
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. kick — in football
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kid — child
  14. tube — a container
  15. spell — a short time
  16. scale — in music
  17. plane — a tool
  18. kid — to tease
  19. row — to paddle
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. scale — size or range
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. spell — letters
  24. tube — in a tire

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