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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rock — a stone
  3. prune — to trim
  4. plane — a tool
  5. face — part of the head
  6. last — final
  7. snap — to click
  8. last — finally
  9. net — for catching
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. craft — boats
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. net — after costs
  16. face — to point toward
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. craft — a skill
  20. face — to confront
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. last — to go on

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