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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. plane — a tool
  3. land — ground
  4. cell — in biology
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lean — thin
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. lean — to bend
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mark — a trace
  19. land — a country
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. land — to come down
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. plane — an aircraft

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