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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. present — a gift
  6. face — to point toward
  7. field — a subject
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bulb — for light
  10. content — happy
  11. present — the time now
  12. content — the amount
  13. field — farmland
  14. face — to confront
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. field — for sport
  17. mark — a trace
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wake — a trail
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. present — there
  24. mark — a grade

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