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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rock — music
  8. spring — the season
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fork — in a road
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. spell — magic
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. tear — to rip
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spell — letters
  24. plane — in geometry

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