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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. vault — a safe
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wax — to grow
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. craft — boats
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. plane — a tool
  17. craft — a skill
  18. staff — employees
  19. bark — to shout
  20. perch — the fish
  21. staff — employees
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. swing — in golf
  24. perch — for a bird

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