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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wax — to grow
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mate — a partner
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mark — a grade
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. scale — for weighing

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