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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 · pitcher · squash · pit · chip · bass · tube · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. bass — low music
  9. chip — for betting
  10. plane — a tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chip — to eat
  17. lean — thin
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pit — a hole
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. squash — to crush

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