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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mug — to rob
  5. row — to paddle
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mug — a face
  11. kid — child
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. season — in sport
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. row — a line
  20. spring — of water
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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