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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.

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: mine · pitch · last · bark · mate · plane · lie · leaves

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bark — to shout
  4. last — to go on
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. last — finally
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. last — final
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mate — a friend
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. plane — an aircraft

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