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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wax — to grow
  3. band — a music group
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. band — a ring
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. plane — a tool
  18. ball — a great time
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stem — to come from
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. lean — thin

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