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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.

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: wax · perch · mark · face · plane · tube · chair · saw

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. face — to confront
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. face — to point toward
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mark — a trace
  12. tube — a container
  13. face — part of the head
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chair — a leader
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mark — a grade
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. tube — in a tire

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