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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mark — a grade
  3. lean — thin
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lean — to bend
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. scale — in music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hand — help
  16. scale — size or range
  17. swing — in golf
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cap — a hat
  24. swing — music

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