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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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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: rest · wave · fine · toast · plane · tube · cold · bay

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rest — a break
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. fine — all right
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. tube — a container
  20. rest — what's left
  21. toast — bread
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rest — what's left
  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