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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: band · deal · wax · plane · bowl · bay · fall · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. tube — a container
  7. fall — to drop
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tube — the underground
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fall — the season
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. plane — a tool

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