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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
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: cap · bowl · tube · drill · cell · sharp · mug · plane

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cap — a hat
  5. drill — a practice
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mug — a face
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cap — a lid
  19. tube — a container
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cap — of ice
  22. drill — army training
  23. plane — a tool
  24. sharp — clever

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