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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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Word bank
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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. drill — a practice
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. drill — army training
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. game — wild animals
  18. plane — a tool
  19. game — a match
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. key — for a lock
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fan — to cool the air

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