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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.

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: tear · plane · tube · branch · safe · spring · bound · pop

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spring — the season
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. tube — a container
  8. bound — obliged
  9. spring — of water
  10. pop — soda
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bound — certain
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bound — tied together
  19. tear — to rip
  20. branch — a division
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. safe — a strongbox

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