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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. face — to point toward
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. current — happening now
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. current — electric
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. plane — a tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bark — to shout
  17. tube — a container
  18. current — of water
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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