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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. last — finally
  10. plane — a tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rock — music
  14. staff — employees
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. last — to go on
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rock — a stone
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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