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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: foot · wax · perch · plane · drill · temple · sharp · cell

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. drill — the tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. sharp — clever
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cell — a phone
  23. plane — a tool
  24. drill — army training

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