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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chest — a box
  7. mug — to rob
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bat — the animal
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chest — of your body
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. branch — a division
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mug — a face
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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