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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wax — to grow
  5. clip — for paper
  6. last — final
  7. clip — a video
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. charge — electricity
  11. last — to go on
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. clip — to cut
  17. charge — a price
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. charge — in control
  23. last — finally
  24. bear — the animal

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