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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. spell — magic
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fall — the season
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rule — a law
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. drill — army training
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — government
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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