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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — to grow
  6. plane — a tool
  7. club — for dancing
  8. last — final
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. foot — a measure
  15. club — a group
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. club — for golf
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. leaves — lets stay

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