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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 124 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. lie — to recline
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cap — a lid
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bark — to shout
  12. field — for sport
  13. cap — of ice
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. field — a subject
  17. rest — what's left
  18. field — farmland
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. plane — a tool
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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