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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. degree — from a university
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. deal — to handle
  19. shower — rain
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. degree — temperature
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. degree — an amount
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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