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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. wind — moving air
  5. file — a document
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. drill — army training
  9. file — a line of people
  10. plane — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. drill — a practice
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. file — a tool
  20. toast — bread
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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