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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wake — a trail
  7. game — a match
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. field — for sport
  11. game — wild animals
  12. field — a subject
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lean — thin
  16. field — farmland
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ball — a dance
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ball — a great time
  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