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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. scale — in music
  11. fork — in a road
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mug — a face
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mug — a cup
  19. tear — from crying
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. scale — size or range

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