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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. roll — a list
  5. current — happening now
  6. tube — a container
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spring — of water
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — the underground
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. roll — a cake
  16. spring — the season
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. chest — a box
  20. plane — a tool
  21. content — the amount
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spring — a coil
  24. chest — of your body

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