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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bark — to shout
  4. field — farmland
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. spell — letters
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spring — of water
  15. stand — to bear
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. spring — the season
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. spell — magic
  24. scale — in music

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