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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mate — to breed
  16. can — a tin
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. vault — a safe
  21. can — to be able to
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. can — a tin
  24. kid — to tease

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