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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cap — of ice
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wax — to grow
  11. row — a line
  12. row — to paddle
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. race — the arms race
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. race — a contest
  21. spring — of water
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. plane — in geometry

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