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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. squash — the sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. last — final
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. sharp — clever
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. squash — to crush
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. last — to go on
  18. ball — a dance
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. tear — from crying
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. last — finally

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