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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: pop · deal · tube · leaves · foot · file · plane · kid

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pop — soda
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. file — a document
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pop — music
  9. tube — the underground
  10. plane — a tool
  11. file — a tool
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. file — a line of people
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. kid — child
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tube — a container
  24. plane — in geometry

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