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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. game — wild animals
  3. tear — to rip
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bark — to shout
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. game — a match
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bore — to tire
  17. swing — music
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. face — part of the head
  22. plane — a tool
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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