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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
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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 · leaves · mark · bound · last · racket · scale · hand

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. hand — help
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. plane — a tool
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bound — tied together
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bound — certain
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. last — finally
  18. scale — in music
  19. last — final
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mark — a grade
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. scale — size or range

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