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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bore — to drill
  4. kid — child
  5. spell — a short time
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bass — the fish
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — for paper
  12. spell — magic
  13. clip — a video
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. clip — to cut
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bore — to tire
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bass — low music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. plane — in geometry

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