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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wound — an injury
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. plane — a tool
  6. march — music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. shower — rain
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wake — a trail
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. march — the month
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lean — thin
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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