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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hand — in cards
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hand — help
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. saw — 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