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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spell — letters
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. plane — a tool
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spell — a short time
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spell — magic
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. tear — from crying
  17. clip — a video
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. craft — boats
  20. clip — to cut
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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