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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bound — obliged
  3. roll — a list
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. spring — the season
  7. roll — a cake
  8. plane — a tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fork — in a road
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bound — certain
  24. foot — part of the body

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