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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 120 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: saw · dip · tube · track · file · plane · spell · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spell — letters
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. file — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — a path
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. track — a song
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. file — a document
  12. spell — a short time
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. tube — the underground
  17. track — to keep track
  18. file — a line of people
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tube — a container
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. spell — magic
  24. dip — a sauce

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