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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. band — a music group
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wind — moving air
  9. plane — a tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wax — to grow
  16. face — to confront
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fine — all right
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hand — help
  24. wax — for sculpting

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