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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. suit — to fit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chest — of your body
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bore — to drill
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. chest — of your body
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chest — a box
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bore — to tire
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. suit — in cards
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tear — from crying
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bass — the fish

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