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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. capital — money
  7. track — to keep track
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. capital — a city
  13. stand — to bear
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wax — to grow
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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