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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 · calf · hand · race · spring · pass · tube · face

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. hand — in cards
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spring — of water
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. spring — the season
  14. face — to confront
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. face — to point toward
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. race — a contest
  21. spring — a coil
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. race — humankind
  24. pass — to succeed

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