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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: mug · squash · craft · current · wax · plane · staff · kid

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. craft — boats
  3. current — electric
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. current — of water
  6. kid — child
  7. squash — the sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. squash — to crush
  11. staff — a stick
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mug — a cup
  19. current — happening now
  20. craft — a skill
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. mug — a face
  23. kid — to tease
  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