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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wind — moving air
  6. face — to point toward
  7. key — for a lock
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. tear — to rip
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. face — to confront
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rash — a series
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. face — part of the head

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