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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.

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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: plane · pound · mate · cap · field · cabinet · perch · kick

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cap — of ice
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cap — a lid
  7. field — a subject
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — a friend
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mate — a partner
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cap — a hat
  23. kick — in football
  24. cabinet — ministers

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