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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: plane · rule · tube · spell · perch · drill · roll · ground

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spell — a short time
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rule — a law
  6. roll — a cake
  7. plane — a tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rule — government
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. perch — the fish
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. spell — letters
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. spell — magic
  21. tube — the underground
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. drill — army training
  24. ground — a position

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