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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. plane — a tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. staff — a stick
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. land — a country
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. staff — employees
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rash — hasty
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. staff — employees
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rash — a series
  24. net — in sport

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