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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. roll — a cake
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. scale — size or range
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stock — goods
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tear — from crying
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. clip — to cut
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. clip — for paper
  23. scale — in music
  24. clip — a video

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