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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wax — to grow
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. plane — a tool
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. prune — to trim
  24. plane — an aircraft

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