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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: pound · stem · drill · deal · plane · tube · toast · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. toast — bread
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pound — a weight
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tube — the underground
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. drill — army training
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. tube — a container
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. deal — a big deal

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