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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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. racket — a loud noise
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. can — a tin
  8. plane — a tool
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wax — to grow
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. clip — a video
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. clip — for paper
  22. can — a tin
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wax — in the ear

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