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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. present — a gift
  3. lie — to recline
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lean — thin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — to come down
  15. plane — a tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. land — ground
  18. present — the time now
  19. perch — the fish
  20. present — there
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. saw — the tool
  24. land — a country

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