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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
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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: mark · game · plane · wave · cold · tube · cell · sharp

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. tube — a container
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. game — a match
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mark — a trace
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. mark — a grade
  19. game — wild animals
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cell — in biology
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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