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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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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wax — to grow
  3. plane — a tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. board — a committee
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. board — to get on
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. prune — to trim

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