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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.

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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: bass · spring · kick · club · branch · track · tube · plane

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. club — a group
  5. spring — of water
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. track — a song
  8. spring — a coil
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. spring — the season
  12. tube — the underground
  13. track — to keep track
  14. plane — a tool
  15. club — for golf
  16. bass — the fish
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. kick — in football
  20. bass — low music
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. track — a path

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