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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. content — the amount
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. kid — child
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. staff — a stick
  12. plane — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. kid — to tease
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — of the year
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. content — happy
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. content — videos and posts

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