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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stock — shares
  6. can — a tin
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. can — a tin
  9. stock — goods
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mate — a partner
  15. can — to be able to
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fall — the season
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fall — to drop
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mate — to breed

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