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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. band — a ring
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a music group
  15. wax — to grow
  16. scale — size or range
  17. plane — a tool
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. scale — in music

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