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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. kid — to tease
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. squash — to crush
  7. tear — to rip
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. tear — from crying
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mine — for digging
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. kid — child
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. perch — the fish
  24. sharp — exactly

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