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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: game · pitcher · wax · rule · plane · kid · march · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. plane — a tool
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. lean — thin
  9. wax — to grow
  10. march — the month
  11. lean — to bend
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rule — a law
  17. march — the month
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. wax — in the ear

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