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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: date · mate · plane · tube · stock · bowl · nail · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tube — a container
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stock — goods
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stock — shares
  20. mate — a friend
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mate — to breed
  23. tube — the underground
  24. date — on the calendar

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