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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. firm — decided
  4. last — final
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. firm — a company
  9. wake — a trail
  10. drill — army training
  11. race — a contest
  12. firm — steady
  13. last — finally
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. plane — a tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — a practice
  18. race — the arms race
  19. last — to go on
  20. race — humankind
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. perch — the fish

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