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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 124 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hand — help
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mug — to rob
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lean — thin
  13. mug — a face
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. spell — magic
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spell — letters
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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