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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. lean — thin
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. last — finally
  8. bass — the fish
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. last — to go on
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. season — of the year
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. plane — a tool
  21. season — in sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. last — final
  24. leaves — of a tree

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