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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: wound · saw · press · firm · staff · last · wave · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. last — final
  3. firm — a company
  4. last — to go on
  5. firm — decided
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wound — an injury
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. firm — steady
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. staff — employees
  15. wound — an injury
  16. last — finally
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. press — newspapers
  24. staff — employees

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