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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. clip — for paper
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. shower — to wash
  9. perch — the fish
  10. clip — to cut
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. plane — a tool
  20. clip — a video
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. suit — clothes
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bowl — to roll

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