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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 116 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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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: tear · nail · last · plane · kid · ball · hand · perch

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ball — a dance
  3. plane — a tool
  4. tear — to rip
  5. last — final
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. last — to go on
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. kid — to tease
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hand — help
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kid — child
  18. last — finally
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ball — a great time
  24. tear — from crying

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