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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. plane — a tool
  3. roll — a list
  4. date — the fruit
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. swing — music
  9. roll — a cake
  10. spring — a coil
  11. swing — in golf
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. swing — to play on
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. game — a match
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. roll — on a roll

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