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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lean — to bend
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lean — thin
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. key — the most important part
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mine — for digging
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. race — a contest
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. race — humankind
  24. racket — for tennis

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