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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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. row — a line
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pop — to visit
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rash — hasty
  10. row — to paddle
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. staff — employees
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. rash — a series
  21. staff — a stick
  22. plane — an aircraft
  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