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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: plane · tear · can · rock · fork · craft · foot · squash

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. craft — a skill
  6. can — to be able to
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. can — a tin
  10. rock — a stone
  11. can — a tin
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. rock — music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fork — in a road
  21. craft — boats
  22. tear — from crying
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. fork — a garden 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