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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.

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: date · perch · plane · staff · drill · mouse · rash · wax

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. drill — army training
  3. staff — employees
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. perch — the fish
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rash — a series
  11. plane — a tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rash — hasty
  19. staff — employees
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  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