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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 · field · bark · capital · cue · rush · date · clip

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. cue — a signal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. field — a subject
  5. clip — for paper
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. clip — a video
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cue — for pool
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. capital — money
  15. cue — a hint
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. field — farmland
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. capital — a city
  23. field — for sport
  24. bark — of a tree

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