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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. branch — a division
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ground — the earth
  9. drill — a practice
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. ground — a position
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. plane — a tool
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. drill — army training
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. fork — in a road
  23. sharp — clever
  24. fork — to eat with

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