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

Word bank: racket · firm · tube · wound · content · plane · race · snap

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wound — an injury
  8. snap — to click
  9. race — a contest
  10. content — the amount
  11. plane — a tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. firm — a company
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. content — happy
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — steady
  24. plane — in geometry

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