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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. land — ground
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. degree — an amount
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. land — a country
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. land — to come down
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mine — for digging
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mine — an explosive

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