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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. saw — the tool
  3. firm — steady
  4. mine — for digging
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. current — of water
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. snap — to click
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — a company
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. current — happening now
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. firm — decided
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. current — electric
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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