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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. spell — a short time
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. spell — letters
  11. plane — a tool
  12. row — a line
  13. spell — magic
  14. tube — a container
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lean — to bend

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