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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
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: bat · wax · plane · mark · march · tear · chair · fine

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mark — a trace
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bat — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. fine — all right
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. tear — to rip
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wax — to grow
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fine — high quality
  22. march — music
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. chair — a professorship

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