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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.

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: plane · cold · face · row · chip · can · racket · wax

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. can — a tin
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wax — to grow
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. chip — to eat
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. can — a tin
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. face — part of the head

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