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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. plane — a tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. file — a tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. file — a document
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. spell — magic
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tube — the underground

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