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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · bark · plane · lie · rush · wax · key · saw

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lie — to recline
  7. land — ground
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. key — in music
  15. land — a country
  16. bark — to shout
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. land — to come down
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. plane — a tool
  24. wax — in the ear

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