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

Word bank: cell · bank · hide · tear · plane · ruler · kid · wax

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bank — of a river
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wax — to grow
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bank — for money
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bank — for money
  12. kid — child
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. kid — to tease

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