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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: hand · stock · cap · plane · saw · bat · bear · tube

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cap — of ice
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. bear — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cap — a lid
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. hand — help

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