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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. club — for dancing
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. sharp — clever
  5. club — a group
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. club — for golf
  8. stem — to come from
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wax — to grow
  19. snap — to click
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. toast — bread
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. plane — an aircraft

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