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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. rock — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. board — a committee
  11. field — farmland
  12. swing — music
  13. plane — a tool
  14. ground — a position
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. prune — to trim
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. swing — in golf
  21. prune — to trim
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. plane — in geometry

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