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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.

Make a worksheet

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: hide · temple · land · row · last · perch · plane · wax

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. plane — a tool
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. last — to go on
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. last — finally
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — to grow
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. land — to come down
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — a line
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. last — final
  24. wax — for sculpting

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