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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.

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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: board · pit · chest · sharp · last · plane · wax · ground

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. last — finally
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. wax — to grow
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chest — a box
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. plane — a tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pit — a hole
  24. sharp — clever

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