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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. craft — boats
  7. rest — a break
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. content — the amount
  10. wake — a trail
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. plane — a tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rest — what's left
  21. craft — a skill
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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