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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. track — a path
  4. content — happy
  5. drill — the tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stand — to bear
  9. track — a song
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chest — of your body
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — to keep track
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. plane — a tool
  18. chest — a box
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. content — the amount
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wax — to grow
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stand — for spectators

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