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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spring — a coil
  12. plane — a tool
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spring — of water
  16. wound — an injury
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wake — a trail
  19. spring — the season
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pound — a weight
  24. vault — a safe

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