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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mug — to rob
  3. prune — to trim
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. prune — to trim
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. kid — child
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mug — a face
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. lean — thin
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a cup
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. lean — to bend

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