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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wax — to grow
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. degree — temperature
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. squash — to crush
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. roll — a cake
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. sharp — clever

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