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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · last · chip · rush · object · plane · drill · pitch

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. drill — the tool
  3. last — final
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. drill — army training
  6. rush — hurry
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitch — completely
  10. object — a thing
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chip — to eat
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. chip — for betting
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. last — finally
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. last — to go on
  22. object — an aim
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rush — to hurry

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