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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. drill — army training
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rock — music
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tear — to rip
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. drill — the tool
  19. game — a match
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. drill — a practice
  22. tear — from crying
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mate — a partner

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