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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 124 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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — of ice
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. game — wild animals
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. branch — a division
  12. wind — moving air
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. game — a match
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cap — a lid

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