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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: root · plane · fall · craft · bear · field · wax · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. root — the cause
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. craft — boats
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fall — the season
  12. root — of a word
  13. craft — a skill
  14. fall — to drop
  15. band — a music group
  16. wax — to grow
  17. field — a subject
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bear — the animal
  24. plane — in geometry

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