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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. ground — crushed
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. plane — a tool
  7. kick — in football
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. hand — help
  11. shower — to wash
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. ground — a position
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. shower — rain
  21. hand — in cards
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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