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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: bass · plane · saw · last · file · patient · content · tube

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bass — the fish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bass — low music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. last — to go on
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. last — final
  12. content — the amount
  13. file — a document
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. content — happy
  16. tube — a container
  17. file — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tube — the underground
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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