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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pop — music
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. craft — boats
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pop — to visit
  19. craft — a skill
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pop — soda
  23. plane — a tool
  24. craft — a handicraft

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