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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.

Make a worksheet

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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wax — to grow
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. prune — to trim
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — help
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. prune — to trim
  22. plane — a tool
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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