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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: wound · plane · dip · spell · racket · foot · toast · present

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. foot — a measure
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. plane — a tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. toast — bread
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spell — letters
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. spell — magic
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. present — there
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. spell — a short time

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