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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: nail · spring · calf · plane · tube · wind · pitcher · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. tube — the underground
  7. plane — a tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. spring — of water
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. tube — a container
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spring — the season
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. calf — a young animal

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