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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. kid — to tease
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. deal — to handle
  6. fall — to drop
  7. prune — to trim
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fall — the season
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. foot — a measure
  16. kid — child
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. foot — part of the body

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