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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: stem · sharp · board · plane · row · saw · content · wax

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. stem — to come from
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. board — to get on
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wax — to grow
  9. row — to paddle
  10. content — happy
  11. sharp — clever
  12. board — a committee
  13. content — the amount
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. plane — a tool
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. saw — the tool
  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