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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spring — the season
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pop — music
  18. spring — of water
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pop — soda
  21. plane — a tool
  22. file — a tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lash — an eyelash

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