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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. kid — child
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fine — all right
  9. plane — a tool
  10. track — a path
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — to go on
  13. wax — to grow
  14. last — final
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. kid — to tease
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wake — before a funeral

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