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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cue — a signal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spell — magic
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lean — to bend
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. lean — thin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cue — for pool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spell — a short time
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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