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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. scale — in music
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. last — final
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. last — finally
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. shower — rain
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. last — to go on
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fork — in a road
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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