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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. plane — a tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. present — there
  9. snap — to click
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. present — the time now
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. game — a match
  17. present — a gift
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lean — to bend
  24. patient — a sick person

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