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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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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: dip · ruler · wax · plane · season · snap · chest · wind

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wax — to grow
  5. season — of the year
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chest — a box
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. plane — a tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. season — in sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chest — of your body
  22. snap — to click
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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