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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: leaves · bulb · last · face · plane · wax · ground · cue

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wax — to grow
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. last — to go on
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. last — final
  13. face — to confront
  14. last — finally
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cue — for pool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cue — a hint

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