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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 120 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: pitcher · mouse · march · tube · club · file · plane · wave

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. march — music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. file — a line of people
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. club — a group
  8. march — the month
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. march — the month
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. club — for golf
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. club — for dancing
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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