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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. chest — a box
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. craft — a skill
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. march — the month
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. march — the month
  24. chest — of your 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