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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. prune — to trim
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. tear — to rip
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — thin
  12. scale — in music
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. plane — a tool
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tear — from crying
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. tear — from crying
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. shower — rain
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. lean — to bend

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