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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · squash · court · mug · leaves · mine · stock · tube

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. squash — the sport
  3. court — for sport
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mine — for digging
  6. court — of a king
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. court — of law
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stock — goods
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mug — a face
  23. stock — shares
  24. tube — a container

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