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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: plane · stick · craft · tube · scale · board · spring · saw

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. scale — in music
  3. craft — a skill
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. plane — a tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spring — of water
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. board — a committee
  13. spring — a coil
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. board — to get on
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. craft — boats
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spring — the season
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. scale — size or range
  24. tube — a container

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