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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. kid — child
  3. firm — decided
  4. drill — army training
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pitch — completely
  7. tear — to rip
  8. kid — to tease
  9. firm — steady
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. tear — from crying
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. firm — a company
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. drill — the tool

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