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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. last — final
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. last — finally
  7. lie — to recline
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. staff — employees
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. bat — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. spring — a coil
  18. craft — a skill
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. last — to go on
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. craft — boats

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