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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 116 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
468
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: chair · plane · field · wound · cap · bulb · drill · march

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. cap — of ice
  3. field — for sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. field — a subject
  6. cap — a hat
  7. march — music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. drill — army training
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. march — the month
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cap — a lid
  23. plane — a tool
  24. field — farmland

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