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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. land — to come down
  5. prune — to trim
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. object — to protest
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. land — a country
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. object — an aim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. object — a thing
  22. land — ground
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rest — what's left

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