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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bore — to tire
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. chest — a box
  5. swing — music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. stem — to come from
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bark — to shout
  16. swing — in golf
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bore — to drill
  21. ball — a great time
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fork — to eat with

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