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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. tear — from crying
  4. suit — to fit
  5. snap — to click
  6. suit — in cards
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. face — to confront
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — to point toward
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. face — part of the head
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. suit — clothes
  22. plane — a tool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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