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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. drill — a practice
  4. spell — letters
  5. plane — a tool
  6. hand — help
  7. bank — for money
  8. drill — army training
  9. field — for sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. drill — the tool

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