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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. 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. ball — a great time
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. roll — a cake
  4. tear — to rip
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. roll — a list
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wax — to grow
  13. firm — steady
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. snap — to click
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tear — from crying
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ball — a dance
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tube — a container
  24. 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