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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. dip — to sink
  7. current — happening now
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. spell — a short time
  10. kid — to tease
  11. current — electric
  12. root — of a plant
  13. field — farmland
  14. kid — child
  15. root — the cause
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. root — of a word
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. current — of water

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