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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 120 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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pop — to visit
  3. field — farmland
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. file — a line of people
  6. face — to confront
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. file — a tool
  9. plane — a tool
  10. field — for sport
  11. file — a document
  12. board — a committee
  13. pop — soda
  14. spell — a short time
  15. face — part of the head
  16. spell — magic
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — to point toward
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pop — music
  22. spell — letters
  23. branch — a division
  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