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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: bass · mark · plane · fall · ground · tube · mug · wound

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. mug — to rob
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mug — a cup
  10. tube — a container
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mug — a face
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mark — a grade
  20. ground — the earth
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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