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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: plane · nail · land · tube · chest · present · leaves · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. plane — a tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. present — the time now
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. present — there
  12. tube — a container
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. chest — a box
  16. land — a country
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. land — ground
  19. chest — of your body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. land — to come down
  23. present — a gift
  24. tube — the underground

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