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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — a match
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bore — to tire
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ground — a position
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cap — a hat
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. ground — the earth
  21. clip — a video
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ground — crushed
  24. plane — a tool

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