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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rash — hasty
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fall — to drop
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wound — an injury
  10. charge — electricity
  11. fall — the season
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rash — a series
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. squash — the sport
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. prune — to trim
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wound — an injury

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