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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. wound — an injury
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. last — finally
  11. pound — a weight
  12. plane — a tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — final
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. coach — a trainer

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