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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 · land · mate · present · fine · plane · deal · ball

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fine — all right
  3. present — there
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. plane — a tool
  6. deal — to handle
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fine — high quality
  12. land — a country
  13. ball — a dance
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. present — a gift
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. land — ground
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. present — the time now
  24. mate — a partner

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