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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. land — ground
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. land — to come down
  10. wax — to grow
  11. toast — bread
  12. land — a country
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rock — music
  20. bass — low music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bat — the animal
  23. plane — a tool
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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