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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: lash · plane · staff · wax · land · spell · current · ruler

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. wax — to grow
  5. staff — a stick
  6. land — ground
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. current — electric
  10. plane — a tool
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. spell — magic
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. current — of water
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. current — happening now
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spell — letters
  24. staff — employees

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