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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. plane — a tool
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spring — the season
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. kid — to tease
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spell — a short time
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. spell — letters
  18. race — humankind
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. spring — of water
  22. spell — magic
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. leaves — of a tree

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