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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tear — from crying
  3. saw — the tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wake — a trail
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ground — crushed
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bound — certain
  10. rock — music
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. plane — a tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bound — tied together
  20. tear — to rip
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ground — a position
  24. rock — a stone

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