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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — in sport
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. net — for catching
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bore — to tire
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. fall — the season
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. net — after costs
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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