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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 120 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — help
  5. rock — music
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cold — an illness
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bank — for money
  20. cold — not warm
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wax — for sculpting

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