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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · plane · degree · racket · leaves · hide · bark · spell

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spell — letters
  6. bark — to shout
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spell — a short time
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. plane — a tool
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. content — the amount
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. spell — magic
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. content — happy
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. hide — to keep secret

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