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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 124 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ground — a position
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tube — a container
  7. track — a song
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cue — a hint
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cue — for pool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ground — crushed
  17. plane — a tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cue — a signal
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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