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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. scale — size or range
  6. chair — a leader
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tear — from crying
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. plane — a tool
  14. tear — to rip
  15. face — to point toward
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wound — an injury
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. safe — out of danger

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