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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.

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: fall · mug · plane · face · wake · spring · straw · mouse

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. mug — a face
  3. face — to point toward
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. face — to confront
  10. spring — of water
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — a trail
  19. spring — a coil
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. spring — the season
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mug — to rob

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