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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · tear · shower · drill · mate · plane · saw · wax

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. saw — the tool
  9. shower — to wash
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tear — from crying
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. plane — a tool
  17. shower — rain
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rock — a stone
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. tear — from crying
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wax — to grow

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