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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — to shout
  7. field — for sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. plane — a tool
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mug — to rob
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. field — a subject
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. face — to confront
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. field — farmland
  23. mug — a face
  24. face — part of the head

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