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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: plane · land · racket · drill · sharp · present · swing · tear

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. land — to come down
  5. drill — army training
  6. tear — to rip
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. land — a country
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. present — there
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. present — a gift
  19. land — ground
  20. sharp — clever
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. drill — a practice
  23. swing — to play on
  24. plane — a tool

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