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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: object · file · net · pass · plane · bark · prune · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. file — a tool
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — a thing
  5. net — after costs
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. object — to protest
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pass — a permit
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. tube — a container
  17. plane — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bark — to shout
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pass — to spend time

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