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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. plane — a tool
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hand — help
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. key — in music
  10. chair — a leader
  11. key — for a lock
  12. hand — in cards
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wax — to grow
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — a line

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