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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. wound — an injury
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. row — a line
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. spell — magic

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