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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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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. file — a document
  6. bear — the animal
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. plane — a tool
  9. file — a tool
  10. shower — rain
  11. file — a line of people
  12. scale — in music
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. rock — a stone
  19. band — a ring
  20. bear — the animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. scale — for weighing

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