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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. tube — a container
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. branch — a division
  5. mate — a friend
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. plane — a tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. field — farmland
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. field — for sport
  15. mate — to breed
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mate — a partner
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitch — completely
  24. plane — an aircraft

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