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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. staff — employees
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. file — a document
  14. wax — to grow
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — clever
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a tool
  22. press — a publisher
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wind — to turn a key

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