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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: plane · wax · stem · craft · cap · file · hand · drill

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. file — a line of people
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cap — of ice
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. hand — in cards
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. drill — a practice
  16. craft — boats
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. cap — a hat
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. wax — to grow
  24. craft — a skill

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