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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. face — to confront
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. squash — the sport
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rule — government
  15. bear — the animal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rash — a series
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. face — to point toward
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. leaves — to go away

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