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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. track — to keep track
  4. spring — of water
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. club — a group
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. club — for dancing
  10. plane — a tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — a path
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. track — a song
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. club — for golf
  23. spring — the season
  24. saw — the tool

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