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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 116 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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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: kick · plane · lash · wax · march · fork · chair · drill

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — a practice
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. kick — in football
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. drill — army training
  18. march — the month
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. march — music
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. plane — a tool

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