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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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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: chair · saw · plane · land · face · wax · hide · scale

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. land — to come down
  5. plane — a tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. face — to point toward
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. chair — a leader
  13. scale — in music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. face — to confront
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. hide — animal skin

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