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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: mouse · court · hand · tear · wake · plane · tube · lash

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. tear — to rip
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. tube — the underground
  5. plane — a tool
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. court — of law
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. court — for sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. tube — a container
  18. hand — help
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tear — from crying
  23. court — of a king
  24. tube — in a tire

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