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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.

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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: lean · tear · plane · row · cabinet · pitcher · stick · object

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. row — a line
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tear — from crying
  6. plane — a tool
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lean — to bend
  14. object — to protest
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. object — a thing
  18. lean — thin
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. object — an aim
  24. cabinet — ministers

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