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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.

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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: straw · wake · tube · perch · plane · kid · cell · kick

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. kick — in football
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. perch — the fish
  12. tube — a container
  13. cell — a phone
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. plane — a tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. kid — child
  24. kick — a thrill

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