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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: tube · plane · sharp · pass · date · wound · swing · bat

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. tube — a container
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bat — the animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tube — the underground
  18. date — the fruit
  19. swing — in golf
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pass — to spend time

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