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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. lean — thin
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. file — a document
  10. snap — to click
  11. file — a tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lean — to bend
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fork — in a road
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. file — a line of people
  24. perch — for a bird

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