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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. club — for golf
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. sharp — clever
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fork — in a road
  15. plane — a tool
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cell — in biology
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. sharp — with an edge

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