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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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fine — all right
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. last — final
  6. fine — high quality
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. deal — to handle
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. row — to paddle
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wax — to grow
  24. row — a line

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