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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.

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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: track · scale · plane · content · spell · wave · tear · hand

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. track — to keep track
  6. plane — a tool
  7. track — a song
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. spell — magic
  13. scale — in music
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. spell — letters
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. spell — a short time
  20. content — happy
  21. scale — size or range
  22. track — a path
  23. content — the amount
  24. scale — for weighing

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