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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.

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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. plane — a tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lean — thin
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. spring — of water
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. ground — a position
  18. field — farmland
  19. spring — a coil
  20. field — a subject
  21. spring — the season
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bulb — of a plant

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