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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
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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: fan · key · plane · wound · content · wake · tube · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. content — the amount
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wound — an injury
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. content — happy
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. tube — a container
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. key — for a lock

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