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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. plane — a tool
  3. roll — a list
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spell — a short time
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. roll — a cake
  13. file — a tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. bank — for money
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a line of people
  19. chair — a leader
  20. root — the cause
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. file — a document
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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