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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · perch · last · ground · tear · spell · mate · plane

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. last — to go on
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mate — a partner
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. spell — letters
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rash — a series
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spell — a short time
  14. last — finally
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. last — final
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. spell — magic

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