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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bound — tied together
  4. spell — letters
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bound — certain
  7. roll — a list
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. spell — magic
  15. roll — a cake
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bound — obliged
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. plane — in geometry

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