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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. field — farmland
  6. bank — for money
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cap — a lid
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spell — letters
  17. bank — for money
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bank — of a river
  22. field — a subject
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cap — of ice

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