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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. row — to paddle
  5. object — to protest
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. scale — size or range
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. squash — to crush
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. scale — in music
  17. row — a line
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. straw — a straw man

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