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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — a face
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mug — to rob
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. stand — to bear
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. plane — a tool
  22. foot — a measure
  23. mug — a cup
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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