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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: rest · tube · saw · spring · leaves · plane · pop · ground

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tube — a container
  4. ground — crushed
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rest — a break
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spring — of water
  9. tube — the underground
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ground — a position
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pop — soda
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pop — music
  24. spring — the season

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