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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ground — the earth
  3. plane — a tool
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — boats
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. shower — rain
  9. drill — army training
  10. fork — in a road
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. last — finally
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. last — final
  20. drill — a practice
  21. last — to go on
  22. ground — a position
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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