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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. file — a document
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pound — a weight
  7. net — for catching
  8. cap — of ice
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. net — after costs
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. last — finally
  24. bark — of a tree

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