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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. ground — a position
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. tube — a container
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. plane — a tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mouse — the animal

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