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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. file — a document
  5. plane — a tool
  6. file — a tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. deal — to handle
  9. content — the amount
  10. wake — a trail
  11. last — finally
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. last — to go on
  14. file — a line of people
  15. field — farmland
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. last — final
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. field — a subject
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. branch — a division

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