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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spell — magic
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spell — a short time
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. band — a ring
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. sharp — clever
  17. spell — letters
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. plane — a tool

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