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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. plane — a tool
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bass — low music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — a stone
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rock — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chest — a box
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. tear — to rip
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. prune — to trim

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