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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bass — low music
  3. field — farmland
  4. bass — the fish
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. spring — a coil
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. field — for sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. spell — magic
  13. branch — a division
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spring — of water
  16. spell — letters
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. field — a subject
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. spring — the season
  24. plane — a tool

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