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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 · can · saw · track · sharp · scale · pop · chest

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. track — a song
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pop — music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — a path
  8. chest — of your body
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. can — a tin
  14. plane — a tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. can — to be able to
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. chest — of your body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chest — a box
  23. track — to keep track
  24. scale — in music

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