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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wake — a trail
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. firm — decided
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. firm — a company
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. firm — steady
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. land — to come down
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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