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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bark — to shout
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. file — a line of people
  15. plane — a tool
  16. sharp — clever
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. race — humankind
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. file — a document
  23. band — a music group
  24. file — a tool

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