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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. face — to point toward
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. spell — letters
  7. face — to confront
  8. field — a subject
  9. face — part of the head
  10. plane — a tool
  11. current — of water
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pound — a weight
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. current — happening now
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. current — electric
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  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