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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. spring — the season
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. plane — a tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. scale — size or range
  8. prune — to trim
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. prune — to trim
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. fall — the season
  15. scale — in music
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fall — to drop
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. row — a line
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chest — a box

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