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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 · wax · plane · calf · field · craft · bowl · cell

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. root — of a plant
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. craft — a skill
  11. root — of a word
  12. field — farmland
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. field — for sport
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. field — a subject
  23. root — the cause
  24. craft — a handicraft

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