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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: mark · plane · spell · bat · wound · scale · content · coach

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. spell — letters
  5. mark — a trace
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. scale — in music
  8. plane — a tool
  9. content — the amount
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spell — magic
  14. content — happy
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. coach — a trainer

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