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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. march — music
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stand — to bear
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — to trim
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. march — the month
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kid — child
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. march — the month
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. prune — the fruit

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