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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. can — a tin
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. rock — a stone
  9. can — a tin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spring — a coil
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. plane — a tool
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. tube — the underground
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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