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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wax — to grow
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. can — a tin
  7. plane — a tool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. can — a tin
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. drill — army training
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. drill — a practice
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. drill — the tool
  24. shower — rain

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