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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — a law
  7. game — a match
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. row — to paddle
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ball — a great time
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ball — a dance
  18. row — a line
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. plane — in geometry

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