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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cue — for pool
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bore — to drill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cue — a hint
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. lean — thin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. dip — to sink
  24. coach — a trainer

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