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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 · bowl · bat · bound · squash · plane · cell · kick

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. plane — a tool
  2. bound — obliged
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. kick — in football
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. squash — the sport
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bound — certain
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bowl — a dish
  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