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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. last — finally
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. row — a line
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. last — final
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. plane — a tool
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. spring — of water
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bark — to shout

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