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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lean — thin
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. row — to paddle
  10. plane — a tool
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. file — a document
  15. game — a match
  16. row — a line
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bass — the fish
  19. file — a tool
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. tube — a container
  22. bore — to drill
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bass — low music

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