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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: lean · file · tube · pitcher · plane · leaves · fork · pop

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. lean — thin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tube — a container
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pop — to visit
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. file — a document
  11. tube — the underground
  12. lean — to bend
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pop — soda
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. file — a tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. plane — a tool
  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