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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: drill · bass · plane · wound · wax · land · lie · spell

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. land — to come down
  3. spell — magic
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. spell — a short time
  10. land — ground
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wound — an injury
  13. plane — a tool
  14. spell — letters
  15. land — a country
  16. wax — to grow
  17. drill — a practice
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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