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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. band — a ring
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wax — to grow
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wax — for sculpting

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