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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. roll — a list
  11. wind — moving air
  12. dip — to sink
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. current — happening now
  15. lean — to bend
  16. roll — a cake
  17. current — of water
  18. wind — moving air
  19. plane — a tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. current — electric
  23. lean — thin
  24. wind — to turn a key

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