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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bark — to shout
  7. file — a tool
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. present — there
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mine — an explosive

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