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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mug — a face
  5. roll — a list
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. suit — to fit
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — a cup
  11. suit — clothes
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mug — to rob
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. dip — to sink
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. roll — a cake
  24. suit — in cards

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