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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 · fork · cell · plane · band · content · suit · row

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. band — a music group
  4. content — happy
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. band — a ring
  7. tube — the underground
  8. plane — a tool
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. row — to paddle
  17. suit — in cards
  18. content — the amount
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. tube — a container
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fork — in a road
  24. row — a line

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