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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 120 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. rash — hasty
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rash — a series
  6. present — there
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. clip — a video
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fall — to drop
  12. clip — to cut
  13. press — a publisher
  14. perch — the fish
  15. press — to push
  16. press — newspapers
  17. fall — the season
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fall — to drop
  20. present — the time now
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. present — a gift
  24. perch — for a bird

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