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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: bear · march · spell · board · pound · shower · plane · mark

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. spell — magic
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mark — a grade
  9. board — a committee
  10. shower — rain
  11. plane — a tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. march — the month
  17. bear — the animal
  18. march — music
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. spell — letters
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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