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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: cell · plane · present · wave · cold · bass · wax · leaves

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. cell — in biology
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bass — low music
  5. present — there
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bass — the fish
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bass — the instrument

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