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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. band — a music group
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — ground
  21. face — to confront
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. band — a ring
  24. plane — a tool

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