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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · tube · coach · bear · jam · plane

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tube — the underground
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. mate — to breed
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. tube — a container
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. plane — an aircraft

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