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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bound — certain
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bass — the fish
  10. face — to confront
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chest — of your body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bass — low music
  22. chest — a box
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bass — the instrument

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