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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mate — a friend
  11. roll — a list
  12. tear — from crying
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bank — of a river
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bank — for money
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tear — to rip

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