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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. march — the month
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. march — music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. saw — the tool
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spell — a short time
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. spell — magic
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wind — moving air

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