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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fork — in a road
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. plane — a tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. spell — letters

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