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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 · pop · bat · branch · mine · craft · plane · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pop — to visit
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. branch — a division
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. craft — boats
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pop — soda
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pop — music
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. craft — a skill
  21. tube — a container
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. plane — an aircraft

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