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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. plane — a tool
  4. track — a path
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — to handle
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. degree — an amount
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wound — an injury
  12. craft — boats
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. degree — from a university
  19. track — to keep track
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. degree — temperature
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. track — a song

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