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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: wake · bat · land · cue · roll · tube · plane · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. plane — a tool
  4. tube — the underground
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cue — a hint
  10. land — to come down
  11. cue — a signal
  12. tube — a container
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bat — the animal

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