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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.

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: cell · pound · lie · pitcher · spring · bark · bowl · plane

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spring — of water
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lie — to recline
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. spring — the season
  24. plane — in geometry

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