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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mark — a grade
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bark — to shout
  18. row — a line
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rush — hurry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — in football
  24. mark — to pay attention

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