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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 · jam · calf · capital · charge · net · pass · wax

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wax — to grow
  3. capital — a city
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. charge — in control
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pass — a permit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. net — for catching
  14. capital — money
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. charge — a price
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pass — to spend time

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