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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. saw — the tool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. field — for sport
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. prune — to trim
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. field — farmland
  15. game — a match
  16. wind — moving air
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. field — a subject

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