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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. clip — a video
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wax — to grow
  13. clip — for paper
  14. craft — a skill
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. craft — boats
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. craft — a handicraft

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