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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. can — a tin
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. field — for sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fork — in a road
  8. shower — to wash
  9. field — farmland
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cap — a hat
  13. field — a subject
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. shower — rain
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. cap — a lid
  21. can — to be able to
  22. dip — to sink
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cap — of ice

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