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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: chip · track · fan · tube · drill · plane · mate · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mate — a partner
  6. chip — for betting
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. drill — the tool
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tube — a container
  15. track — a song
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mate — a friend
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. track — a path
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mate — to breed

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