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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. file — a tool
  3. craft — a skill
  4. last — to go on
  5. plane — a tool
  6. last — finally
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. craft — boats
  17. row — a line
  18. file — a document
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bark — to shout
  22. last — final
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. craft — a handicraft

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