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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 116 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 · track · land · shower · mark · plane · bat · wave

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. land — a country
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. tube — the underground
  10. land — ground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. track — a path
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. track — a song
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. mark — a trace
  18. land — to come down
  19. tube — a container
  20. plane — a tool
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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