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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. row — a line
  4. plane — a tool
  5. tear — to rip
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. spell — a short time
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bound — tied together
  13. tear — from crying
  14. press — a publisher
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. tear — from crying
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bound — certain
  22. press — newspapers
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. press — to push

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