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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. plane — a tool
  3. squash — the sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. net — in sport
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. field — a subject
  13. squash — to crush
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bear — the animal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. net — for catching
  18. bear — the animal
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. field — farmland
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. net — after costs

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