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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: content · ball · sharp · plane · straw · tear · tube · fork

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tear — to rip
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tear — from crying
  12. sharp — clever
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. content — the amount
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. tear — from crying
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. content — happy
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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