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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. plane — a tool
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. spell — magic
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bore — to tire
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. scale — in music
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bore — to drill
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. bore — gave birth

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