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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. board — a committee
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. spring — the season
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. last — finally
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. last — to go on
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. board — to get on

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