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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. plane — a tool
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. roll — a list
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rash — hasty
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rash — a series
  19. wax — to grow
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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