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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 · march · bowl · wave · plane · wound · hand · leaves

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. march — the month
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wound — an injury
  14. tube — the underground
  15. plane — a tool
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. leaves — of a tree

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