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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: pound · plane · deal · tube · pop · wave · cold · calf

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pop — music
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cold — not warm
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pop — soda
  16. tube — the underground
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. tube — a container

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