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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: drill · wax · wave · perch · plane · hand · last · current

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. current — of water
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. plane — a tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hand — help
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wax — to grow
  19. last — to go on
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. hand — in cards

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