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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: perch · saw · wax · pitcher · wound · drill · arm · plane

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wound — an injury
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. drill — army training
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. drill — a practice
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wound — an injury
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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