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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wax — to grow
  10. press — newspapers
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. board — to get on
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — a committee
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. nail — for a hammer

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