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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. drill — a practice
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. board — a committee
  6. chest — of your body
  7. drill — army training
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. board — to get on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. craft — a skill
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rock — a stone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. drill — the tool
  20. craft — boats
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. chest — a box
  23. rock — music
  24. tear — from crying

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