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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. club — a group
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. dip — to sink
  7. plane — a tool
  8. club — for dancing
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. lean — to bend
  11. row — to paddle
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lean — thin
  15. club — for golf
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wake — a trail
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rash — a series
  23. row — a line
  24. trunk — of a car

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