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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. scale — in music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. spring — of water
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. field — farmland
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. ground — a position
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. spring — the season

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