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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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Word bank
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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: cell · field · mark · rash · bowl · bank · content · plane

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cell — in biology
  4. field — for sport
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mark — a trace
  7. content — happy
  8. field — a subject
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bank — for money
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. content — the amount
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bank — for money
  15. field — farmland
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rash — a series
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cell — a phone

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