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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. land — to come down
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mug — a face
  13. press — to push
  14. land — a country
  15. mine — for digging
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. prune — to trim
  20. press — a publisher
  21. land — ground
  22. shower — rain
  23. press — newspapers
  24. prune — to trim

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