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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · plane · bulb · shower · rush · wax · object · scale

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. object — a thing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spell — magic
  9. object — an aim
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rush — hurry
  12. object — to protest
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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