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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. craft — boats
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. squash — to crush
  10. land — ground
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. land — a country
  15. fall — to drop
  16. land — to come down
  17. fall — the season
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. squash — the sport
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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