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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 · rock · bay · straw · kick · bowl · field · roll

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. field — a subject
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. field — farmland
  7. kick — in football
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rock — music
  12. roll — a cake
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. field — for sport
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. roll — a list
  24. rock — a stone

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