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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. present — a gift
  4. tear — to rip
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. hand — help
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. present — the time now
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. spring — of water
  14. tear — from crying
  15. press — newspapers
  16. spring — the season
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. present — there
  21. tube — a container
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spring — a coil

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