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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 120 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: last · net · wax · foot · spell · march · plane · wave

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. march — music
  3. last — to go on
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spell — a short time
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — finally
  17. spell — letters
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. wax — to grow
  21. spell — magic
  22. march — the month
  23. last — final
  24. net — after costs

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