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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · drill · bowl · plane · wake · cell · foot · kid

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. kid — child
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. drill — army training
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cell — in biology
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. drill — a practice
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wake — a trail
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fork — in a road
  23. plane — a tool
  24. foot — a measure

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