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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. game — wild animals
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. band — a ring
  7. wax — to grow
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stand — to bear
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wax — in the ear

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