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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. kick — in football
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. band — a ring
  19. land — a country
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bark — to shout
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. band — a music group
  24. plane — in geometry

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