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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rush — hurry
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wax — for sculpting

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