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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. net — for catching
  3. spring — of water
  4. net — in sport
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. spring — a coil
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. spell — magic
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. net — after costs
  11. spell — a short time
  12. march — the month
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. spell — letters
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spring — the season
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. plane — a tool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wake — before a funeral

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