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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. plane — a tool
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. season — in sport
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wax — to grow
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lean — thin
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. date — the fruit
  20. lean — to bend
  21. land — a country
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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