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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. land — to come down
  3. row — a line
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pound — a weight
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. land — ground
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. land — a country
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. row — to paddle
  24. straw — a straw man

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