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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: wax · mate · cell · arm · plane · rock · hand · toast

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cell — in biology
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rock — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cell — a phone
  13. hand — help
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. mate — to breed
  22. plane — a tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wax — to grow

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