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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wax — to grow
  5. kid — child
  6. cap — a lid
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. staff — a stick
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. roll — a list
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. staff — employees
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rash — a series
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — in geometry

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