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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. cold — an illness
  3. kid — child
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. plane — a tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rest — what's left
  14. can — a tin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. swing — in golf
  18. kid — to tease
  19. swing — music
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rest — what's left
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rest — a break

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