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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 124 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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cell — in biology
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. present — a gift
  8. wax — to grow
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mate — a friend
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. present — there
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. dip — to sink
  22. present — the time now
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. straw — a straw man

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