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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.

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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: plane · row · spring · face · hand · foot · drill · wax

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wax — to grow
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. spring — the season
  6. hand — in cards
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. foot — a measure
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. spring — a coil
  11. hand — help
  12. spring — of water
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. foot — the bottom

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