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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. stock — goods
  5. wound — an injury
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. season — in sport
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pound — a weight
  10. stock — shares
  11. ground — a position
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. ground — the earth
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. tear — from crying
  18. season — of the year
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. tear — to rip

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