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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. foot — a measure
  4. march — the month
  5. plane — a tool
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — a position
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. snap — to click
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ground — crushed
  16. march — music
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. scale — in music
  20. ground — the earth
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wake — a trail

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