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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bank — of a river
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bank — for money
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bank — for money
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. hand — help
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. plane — a tool
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. face — to confront
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. face — to point toward

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