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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a tool
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fall — to drop
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. staff — employees
  14. file — a document
  15. staff — employees
  16. file — a line of people
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. plane — a tool

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