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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wake — a trail
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tear — to rip
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tube — a container
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bound — obliged
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. tube — the underground
  17. game — a match
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. snap — to click
  20. tear — from crying
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bound — certain
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bound — tied together

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