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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: cap · row · plane · bore · pop · bay · key · spell

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bore — to tire
  3. key — for a lock
  4. spell — letters
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pop — soda
  8. spell — a short time
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pop — to visit
  11. key — in music
  12. cap — a hat
  13. row — a line
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cap — of ice
  16. row — to paddle
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pop — music
  21. spell — magic
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. plane — a tool

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