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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
468
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: stand · kid · plane · coach · wax · calf · season · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. season — in sport
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. season — of the year
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stand — to bear
  9. kid — to tease
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. kid — child
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spring — of water
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. season — to add flavour

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