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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. plane — a tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. shower — rain
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. spring — of water
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. spring — the season
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. saw — the tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bark — to shout

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