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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: plane · hide · mouse · rash · wax · key · spring · snap

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rash — hasty
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. key — in music
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. key — for a lock
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spring — the season
  15. rash — a series
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. snap — to click
  20. key — the most important part
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. mouse — the animal

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