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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. perch — the fish
  10. plane — a tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — of the year
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — in sport
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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