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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. drill — army training
  5. club — for golf
  6. mate — a friend
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mate — to breed
  9. file — a tool
  10. spring — of water
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spring — the season
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. file — a document
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. drill — the tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. club — a group
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. club — for dancing
  24. trunk — of a car

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