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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. spring — of water
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mate — to breed
  6. spring — the season
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mate — a partner
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft

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