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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rest — a break
  3. tear — from crying
  4. toast — bread
  5. clip — for paper
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rest — what's left
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rest — what's left
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. fan — a supporter

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