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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. saw — the tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pound — a weight
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. track — a path
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wound — an injury
  24. track — to keep track

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