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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. spell — letters
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bark — to shout
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spell — magic
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rock — music
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fall — the season
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fall — to drop
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wound — an injury

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