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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 120 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pop — music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mate — a friend
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pop — soda
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bark — to shout

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