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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 124 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rule — government
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lean — thin
  15. game — a match
  16. rule — a law
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. plane — in geometry

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