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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. field — farmland
  3. board — to get on
  4. fork — in a road
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. field — a subject
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. board — a committee
  15. band — a ring
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. band — a music group
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. field — for sport
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. roll — a list
  24. fork — a garden tool

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