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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pass — a permit
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. spell — magic
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spring — a coil
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. tear — from crying
  18. vault — a safe
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. spell — letters
  23. tear — to rip
  24. row — to paddle

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