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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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. roll — a cake
  4. field — farmland
  5. chip — to eat
  6. saw — the tool
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rash — a series
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chair — a leader
  11. field — for sport
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. roll — a list
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. field — a subject
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. stem — of a plant

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