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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: land · ball · fork · plane · track · stick · perch · cold

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. plane — a tool
  3. track — a path
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. land — a country
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cold — an illness
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cold — not warm
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. land — to come down
  22. track — a song
  23. land — ground
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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