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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. plane — a tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mug — a face
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fall — the season
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. hand — help
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mug — a cup
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. game — a match
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fall — to drop
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. hand — in cards
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fall — to drop
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  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