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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 116 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: fall · plane · can · wind · bass · tube · spell · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. cold — not warm
  10. can — a tin
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bass — low music
  15. can — a tin
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. spell — letters
  19. wind — moving air
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tube — a container
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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