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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 116 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. plane — a tool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bass — low music
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. land — ground
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bass — the fish
  21. land — a country
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. land — to come down

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