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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. band — a ring
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cap — of ice
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. band — a music group
  10. cap — a hat
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. drill — the tool
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bark — to shout
  22. saw — the tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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