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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. face — to confront
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wind — moving air
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hand — in cards
  16. march — the month
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. march — music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wind — moving air

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