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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chest — a box
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. march — the month
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. branch — a division
  16. prune — to trim
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. march — music
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. march — the month
  24. branch — of a bank

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