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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. drill — a practice
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. drill — the tool
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. wax — to grow
  20. staff — employees
  21. drill — army training
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. chair — a leader

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