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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. field — a subject
  7. lie — to recline
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. chip — for betting
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. plane — a tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. field — for sport
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. field — farmland

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