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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. 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. wax — for sculpting
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — to grow
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bat — the animal
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. 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