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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. plane — a tool
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tear — to rip
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. object — an aim
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. object — to protest
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. tear — from crying
  22. object — a thing
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. sharp — exactly

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