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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hand — help
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bear — the animal
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bear — the animal
  15. last — to go on
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. last — finally
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. scale — in music

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