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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 120 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 · lean · rock · plane · content · perch · net · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. lean — thin
  5. content — the amount
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. content — happy
  8. rock — music
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wake — a trail
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — to grow
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lean — to bend
  21. net — after costs
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. perch — the fish

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