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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. hand — in cards
  3. present — a gift
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. present — the time now
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. row — a line
  10. plane — a tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. row — to paddle
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. hand — help
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lean — thin
  23. present — there
  24. hand — part of the body

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