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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. sharp — clever
  6. prune — to trim
  7. field — a subject
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. prune — to trim
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. field — for sport
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. land — ground
  24. field — farmland

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