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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. capital — a city
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. capital — money
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rush — to hurry

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